2. The Future of Cities and Suburbs
Joel Kotkin, author and Distinguished Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures with
Chapman University, has been analyzing the future socioeconomic growth of the
United States.
Kotkin’s book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, takes an interesting
look at how U.S. cities may evolve over the next forty years.
Kotkin describes ongoing efforts to revitalize
areas in cities that fell into disuse due to the
creation of retail shopping malls.
One success story is Fullerton, CA., where
the historic downtown district has been
restored, and now draws city residents and people
from the surrounding areas to this social and
cultural center.
3. Lifestyle Centers
Another change Kotkin sees in the next forty years is the migration away from major
cities to suburban areas of the country.
Another future for the suburbs has been the creation of “lifestyle centers.”
LA-based developer, Rick Caruso who has revamped existing shopping malls into areas
that allow more social interaction; there are sidewalk cafés, and lots of open spaces for
people to walk, sit as well as retailers that are unique to the area versus “big box store”
generic retailers.
One of Caruso’s development efforts is in Calabasas, CA.,
where he has taken the Commons area and “designed [it] to
perform the civic functions of a traditional Main Street. . .”
Parking is underground to allow more of an old feel to this new
Development (Kotkin p. 98).
Calabasas, CA
4. Suburbs and Cultural Diversity
Unlike the suburbs of the past, Kotkin sees America’s future suburbs a the
epitome of American diversity (Kotkin p. 65).
San Gabriel, CA., is an excellent example of a suburban area that will continue to
become more culturally diverse, as a sampling of restaurants above suggests.
