And any new construction was counterbalanced by things taken off the property tax rolls through demolition. The trend can be seen in a map of neighborhood code cases since 1989, which shows the greatest concentration in older areas with little development. But some say that part of the deterioration can be attributed to declining homeownership rates. Part of that is from annexation and new construction. But almost two-thirds of that growth has been in the number of rental units, which grew from 19,130 in 1970 to 28,106 in 1990, when 37 percent of all housing units were rentals.
Most apartment buildings are within city limits, accounting for part of the trend, officials say.
But a growing number of single-family homes have been split into apartments as well. At the same time, the number of vacant homes within city limits has increased, from 3,712 to 7,364. Nearly 1 in 10 housing units in 1990 were vacant, compared to about 6 percent in 1970. Suburban areas had a 4 percent vacancy rate in 1990. We've seen a shifting of population from older, relatively dense areas to much lower densities in new suburban developments.