My monthly column on Geezeo is up where I predict that high energy prices will be the end of suburbia as we know it (as well as other assorted changes in our life). If you haven’t visited the site, please do- it is an interesting personal finance tool. While on the topic of energy prices, I mused last week about whether the price of oil was the subject of the next bubble and Wall Street Journal addresses the oil bubble this week.
I noticed recently that Four Pillars is bursting with entrepreneurial ideas. I am going to be scratching his, and everyone else’s, entrepreneurial itch next week with a mini small business and personal finance week. I have a guest writer commenting on the 5 biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make as well as a post about my experiences starting a business on a shoe-string budget. There will also be the regular musing, speculating and ranting from yours truly. Have a great weekend. Weather is supposed to be great in my neck of the woods. Hope it is in yours as well.
June 6th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I agree this trend has room to run if the future is linear. But your #1 point might be contrary to your #3 point… the potential of innovation. What if workplaces try telecommuting for the savings and discover it is profitable? Then we are back to living wherever, including the suburbs, at least with that employer relationship. (There is still the issue of job mobility with future employers.) Another factor is the emergence of ultra-efficient vehicles. Not everyone will want one, but for the people who just need cheap A-to-B transportation, it will give them more options.
June 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I have some doubts about the claims of the end of suburbia that have hit the newspapers recently.
I live in Mississauga, the very large suburb of Toronto. While Toronto has been losing many jobs due to high property taxes and lack of affordable commercial and industrial land, many of Toronto’s suburbs gained those jobs. Just look at the number of Fortune 500 companies that operate in Mississauga instead of Toronto
I do not work in Mississauga but instead work in another large suburb called Vaughan. 5 of my 7 co-workers live in Toronto yet commute to the suburbs for better working conditions. I know of the stories of people moving back into Toronto but the jobs are in the suburbs these days in my preception. Our customers are primarily from suburban communities.
Also urban cores have degrading infrastructure, crumbling schools and bridges, poor shape hospitals, overstretched and underfunded transit systems, and inadqueate police, fire and paramedic stations. Public libraries and community centres that are closing due to funding concerns and the higher concentrations of criminal activity that right or wrong seem to plague urban cores. Urban cores don’t offer backyards for your children so community centres and pools are so much more important yet they are crumbling in the inner cities.
If you want to cut down on commuting and your cost of living I suggest looking to suburbs for your employment and your housing and leave the inner cities for the young and single and carefree.
Does anyone think I’m wrong with this assessment?