Possible?: More millenials want liveable neighbourhoods, more transit, etc.

[Crankin]

I think this is true for a subsection of this age bracket.
DS and DIL just bought a house. It's in an "inner" suburb, more citified than where I live, but still, they can't walk out the door to shops. But, there is a bus stop on the corner so DS can get into Boston for work. It's a 15 minute drive for DIL to get to work in another city-suburb. They have one car. So far, it's worked because DS either takes public trans or rides to work. If he needs the car, he has to stay up late to pick her up; she's a restaurant manager with odd hours. Eventually, probably when a kid appears, or someone gets a new job, they will need 2 cars. But, it will be interesting to see what happens when they move into the house. They have been living a very urban lifestyle and this is going to be a change.

[shootingstar]

It may well be happening in certain parts of North America. Here where I live, there's probably enough buying homes out in the suburbs but there is ongoing vocal demand for extended transit. I'm out in the prairies in a a major city of over 1 million. A major light rail line is being extended right now. City has grown fast in past decade.

http://grist.org/transportation/2011...ns/?fb_ref=gl1

My niece and nephew who were raised in the suburbs in Toronto, both live near subway and bus.

Niece (26 yrs.) and her boyfriend have a car (his) but they try to avoid using the car if they can in Toronto. She commutes out to the suburbs to work daily by transit.

Her brother (24 yrs) lives...in Cambridge MA to attend university. Neither he nor his girlfriend have a car. She's probably using her parent's car since she is a medical intern.

My gut feel knows that these 2 children will not buy /live long term out anywhere isolated/in suburbs. (These are the children that lost their mom.)

My partner's children haven't gotten a car yet. Daughter is 32 yrs. and probably wouldn't feel comfortable using her license since she hasn't driven for a while (several years). She is used to transit in Vancouver. She lives downtown.

HIs son (30) and wife are expecting a baby so we'lll see if anything changes. So far no car and they live close to Toronto subway.

[jyyanks]

I work in NYC where public transportation/walking/biking is the preferred mode of transportation. The issue is that there is no space. So if a family wants the urban lifestyle and space, they will have to either shell out multiple millions of dollars for a bigger apartment or move to the suburbs where cars(suvs) are the preferred mode of transportation. Very few families can afford to live in Manhattan because of the cost of real estate and the cost of schools. My boss spends $40,000 dollars a year for PRESCHOOL!!!!! Unless your salary is outrageously high, living in the city once you have a family is not financially feasible unless you are willing to give up things like space and are willing to go to the public school closest to your residence. Some schools are better than others so the ones who are in the not so great schools have to pay for private education or move to the burbs. I'd be curious to see what its like elsewhere!

[Irulan]

Transitions to more liveable/walkable/smaller, less suburban communities has been underway in some locales for some years now.

[Crankin]

Shooting Star, your niece doesn't need a car to live in Cambridge. The city where my son lives now, in his apt. is right next to Cambridge. However, as a medical intern, her boyfriend probably needs a car for the late night shifts at the major teaching hospitals in Boston. Our public transportation stops running at midnight.
My DIL grew up in Boston. However, her parents gave no thought to the quality of the schools. She missed getting into the prestigious "exam" school by one point on the exam, for secondary school, had a horrible year as a 7th grader, where she was beaten up and called all kinds of racist names. On her own, she got herself into a Friend's School for gr. 8, with a scholarship, and then to an arts oriented private school for high school, where she had to travel 2 hours to get there. My son is well aware that the city where they bought their home is not where he would want his kids to go to school. They probably would move again before any child reached school age. It will be a huge adjustment for DIL, although by then, they should have enough money to move to a close in suburb, with public trans, better schools, and a decent "downtown" area. I know she feels like where we live is sort of like a vacation.

[shootingstar]

My boss spends $40,000 dollars a year for PRESCHOOL!!!!!

Wow, especially if that's for just 1 child.

Well, Crankin it's actually my nephew in Cambridge. He used to the shlepping along using transit and subway. Lots of medical interns would need a car at times, to deal with their crazy long shiftwork.

However I believe Grog's hubby when he was a medical intern, he cycled to work at times from downtown Vancouver area ...to a hospital in the 'burbs for him to build in fitness in a busy schedule.

[Crankin]

Same thing happens here, with the crazy tuitions for preschool. There's a private school at the foot of my street that charges 30K for preschool.
However, there are plenty of good quality preschools that are normally priced.
Just not in the city.