Why should we be concerned with small towns? Recent real estate sales have shown that people are moving to downtown urban residences in the city (Sohmer 2001). However, there are additional signs pointing to the growth of small towns. In the book, The Roaring 2000’s, economic forecaster Harry Dent (1998) says,
We are about to see the next great population migration in our country, which will be the force driving real-estate appreciation in the next decade. An enormous number of people will escape overcrowded, expensive suburbs and move to a variety of small towns, new-growth cities, exurban areas beyond the suburbs, and even back to trendy urban areas.
Since trendy downtowns are gaining popularity, there is a possibility of two more coming phases: Small town revitalization and Suburban restructuring. The idea of retrofitting suburbia is already in the minds of many. Planner and architect Peter Calthorpe has been working on reforming the suburbs to respond to an expected west coast population growth (Kunstler 1993) and pro-suburbia economist Joel Kotkin supports the reinvention of existing suburbs as mixed-use villages (Kotkin 2005). Rather than focus on the growth of already overpopulated areas, small town revitalization will focus on the growth of ideal places for living. These areas have an opportunity to develop a sustainably constructed community framework before the pressures of growth force unplanned development.
The cost of living in the suburbs has become too expensive for the average household. The State of California, for example, finally reached a boiling point in 2005. As the most populated State in America, almost all residents are living in a sprawl community even if it is located two hours from the nearest city core. Home prices have gotten so high that only 24 percent of residents could afford to pay the mortgage on an entry-level home (Associated_Press 2006). For the first time in decades, California is losing more residents than it is gaining. People are leaving because the cost is too great and the quality of life is too low. These people are parting with the high cost of sprawl and they are finding happier lives in small towns throughout the rest of the country (Karlgaard 2004).
Many people seek the quality of life of a small rural community. One small town resident commented that many people were moving to his community with the hope and promise of the “wholesome life” (Lyons 1987). It is one of the reasons that suburbia became so popular; suburbia was supposed to be the community embedded in the natural environment and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Small towns have become places where many overstressed urbanites and suburbanites move to because of the relaxed lifestyle. Often, these individuals take large salary cuts and sell expensive homes, but they find that they spend less of their income in smaller towns and they get much more home for the money (Karlgaard 2004).
In fact, according to Dreamtowns.com, more than 18 million people moved from metropolitan areas into small cities or rural counties during the 1990s. The bottom line can be summed up in three words: quality of life. That quality is reflected in a number of ways: lower costs of housing and living, lower crime rates, better schools, shorter commutes and, in general, a more relaxed and less stressful lifestyle. (Schultz 2004: 9)
In addition to better living places, many businesses are looking at the opportunities and affordable land offered by small towns. There is a strong possibility that small towns may be future growth centers. In the book, Edge Cities, Joel Garreau (1991) describes the transition of jobs and income centers from downtown city cores to the edges of the city. It is a pattern that illustrates jobs moving closer to people’s living quarters. To extend this idea a bit further, it could also be said that there is an emerging economic pattern of business following people rather than the historical trend of people following business. Employers see an advantage in small towns. They enjoy the lower operational costs and the stronger employee loyalty (Schultz 2004). This attraction for businesses may help augment and liven the community.
Recently, small town development has been led by builders and under-educated civic leaders. This has led to a built environment of placeless neighborhoods based on a suburban model that could be built anywhere and therefore have the qualities of nowhere. It is time to realize that there is a demand for change and an impending pressure for the renewal of community. James Kunstler (1993: 247) proclaims, “the future will require us to build better places, or else the future will belong to other people and other societies.” A small town is not a dense urban core, nor is it a sprawling suburb. There is a shortage of research in the area of housing typology for small town growth. However, we do know from marketing surveys that many Americans wish they lived in pedestrian friendly neighborhoods (Flint 2006). Market studies and lessons learned from past development will guide the building of healthy small towns.