Intown
Living: A Different American Dream
| Paperback | Hardcover | ||
 |
By Ann
Breen and Dick Rigby Washington, DC: Island Press, 2005 285 pages with maps ISBN 1-59726-002-9 $29.95 Order Information |
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By
Ann Breen and Dick
Rigby Westport, Conn. and London: Praeger Publishers, 2004 300 pages ISBN 0-275-97591-6 $69.95 Order Information |
Intown Living: A
Different American Dream by Ann
Breen and Dick
Rigby documents in eight disparate North American cities the movement into
and near downtowns, spearheaded largely by young adults for whom our
car-oriented subdivision lifestyle is unappealing. They seek instead urbane,
lively neighborhoods where diverse lifestyles are encouraged. They are attracted
to intown neighborhoods that are walkable, with sufficient density to support
amenities like cafes and clubs, and that have a certain degree of hipness.
The book focuses on the following areas of the case cities: Midtown and Downtown
Atlanta; Uptown and Downtown Dallas; Downtown and Midtown Houston; Downtown and
South Main in Memphis; Mill Quarter and North Riverfront, Minneapolis; the
Warehouse Area Business Association district in New Orleans; Pearl District
Portland, Oregon, and North False Creek and Coal Harbour, Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada.
The principal conclusion of Intown Living is that, contrary to the
suggestion in much current literature about cities, it is not the so-called baby
boomer/empty nester generation moving back into the cities in 2003. Rather it is
young people by a predominant margin, which the book documents using census and
other data. The median age in the districts discussed in detail in Intown
Living is generally around 30. They are effectively the first wave of
resettlement in a number of neighborhoods explored.
If properly nurtured, the trend could spread and deepen and thus enliven larger
portions of our urban centers. The authors believe that this must happen if
North America is to have a chance of arresting wasteful subdivision sprawl.
There are economic, social, psychological, health and environmental reasons why
increasing residential developments in and near center cities is sound policy.
The American Dream of the single-family home on its own lot is still strong, but
a Different American Dream is taking hold for significant segments of the
population and should be encouraged, the authors argue. Beyond an under-40
population, the other principal group attracted to intown neighborhoods is gays.
Two additional smaller niches of the intown market are divorcees and weekenders.
The authors conclude that for the time being, most empty nesters will either
stay put, move to new subdivision-style cities in the Sunbelt or relocate nearer
to a city but still apart from it (such as the Galleria area of Houston or
Bethesda, Md., outside Washington, D.C.). Persons with an interest in the
subject will get current data on who is buying intown, at what prices and in
what size of apartments and condominiums, and details about the financial and
programmatic incentives needed to help make it happen, and why they are
necessary.
Ann Breen and Dick Rigby are the founders and co-directors of The Waterfront
Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., since 1981. Intown
Living developed out of community consulting work Breen and Rigby performed
in 1999 in Dallas and Houston where they were surprised to find instances of
residential developments in and near the downtowns of these quintessentially
sprawling metropolises.
The Center organizes an annual international conference on urban waterfront
planning, development and culture; conducts an international awards program, and
does community consulting. Breen and Rigby are authors of two major books on
urban waterfronts: WATERFRONTS: Cities Reclaim Their Edge (New York:
McGraw-Hill Inc., 1984 and The New Waterfront: A Worldwide Urban Success
Story (London: Thames & Hudson
Ltd., 1996). The have backgrounds in planning, government and the non-profit
world. Research for this book began in earnest in 2001.
TO ORDER:
Paperback:
Intown Living: A
Different American Dream ($29.95, shipping and handling is $4.50 for first
book, $1.00 each additional.) Ordering information from Island Press follows:
By phone: 800-621-2736
By email: orders@islandpress.org or order online at www.islandpress.com
By mail: Island Press, 1718 Connecticut Ave. N.W, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20009
Hardback:
Intown Living: A
Different American Dream ($69.95) Ordering information from Greenwood
Publishers follows:
By phone:
800-225-5800
By fax: 603-431-2214
By email: orders@greenwood.com or
order online at www.greenwood.com
By mail: Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT
06881