9-8

THE SUBURBANIZATION PROCESS

Employment and housing growth can be traced from before World War II to demonstrate the sub-urbanization of both housing and employment. A) Before the war, employment existed primarily in the urban core with housing located nearby; small towns with limited employment existed on the outskirts of the urban core. B) The postwar period brought massive housing growth to the suburbs and a reduction of housing in the urban core; only limited employment opportunities existed in the suburbs. C) Beginning around the early 1970s, employment-dominated centers emerged in the suburbs, often consuming areas that were once small rural towns; these suburban centers accommodated

new residential development in more distant locations. And baby boomers sparked a revived interest in housing near the historical downtown. D) The 1990s promise to bring increased suburbanization as a "second wave" of employment centers begins to emerge at the new urban fringe. The trend, however, will be for increased efficiency of land use and an emphasis on mixing employment uses with housing. Opportunities for residential development also will occur on infill and underused sites near existing employment centers (the historical urban core and the "first wave" of suburban employment centers).

A. PRE-WORLD WAR II

B. POST-WORLD WAR II: SUBURBANIZATION

C. POST-1970: SUBURBAN EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

D. POST-1990: CONTINUING SUBURBANIZATION AND INTEGRATION OF RESIDENTIAL AND EMPLOYMENT USES

**Key:** × Employment ● Housing