Urbanism

I will be traveling for work this week, going to investigate one of the larger sunbelt cities to see whether opportunities might exist.  To get in the right frame of mind, I picked up and read The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City by Alan Ehrenhalt.  He identifies and seeks to understand the demographic inversion that he sees as the trend these days – that is, the move of the affluent to city centers, with the suburbs becoming home in greater degree to the less wealthy and new immigrants.  It boils down to convenience, both in terms of travel time to work and the cost of gasoline, but also about a certain preference that exists in the younger generation for something that resembles the capital cities of 18th century Europe.  A certain sense of community that comes from the density and amenities of a metropolis.  I tend to agree and think that it has important implications for real estate investors going forward.