Urban or Suburban: Is It Possible To Have The Best Of Both Worlds?
Almost two years into the pandemic, working from home has become the new normal. In 2019, approximately 20% of workers surveyed by Pew Research worked from their homes; during the pandemic, this number jumped to 71%, with 54% of those respondents reporting that they would like to continue to work from home, even after the pandemic subsides.
While many thought that millennials would never leave the cities that have attracted them for years, the pandemic has caused many urbanites to rethink high-density living. An analysis of US Postal Service change-of-address data published in the New York Times shows that, from 2019 to 2020, net out-migration accelerated most in big, expensive metros like New York and San Francisco. Part of that out-migration is attributed to the high concentration of knowledge workers in big cities; these workers were more easily able to pick up their laptops and leave, while workers in other fields were more closely tied to the physical location of their work. In the vast majority of the metro areas with net outflow, urban neighborhoods lost more people than suburban neighborhoods did.
The Move to the Suburbs: Fact of Life or Temporary Reaction?
The question isn’t whether working from home is here to stay, but rather, whether the move to the suburbs is a permanent shift or a temporary reaction to the pandemic. Low interest rates, pent-up demand, and the appeal of ownership are driving more and more city dwellers to move to the suburbs because, as Money so succinctly points out, “Why pay city prices, when you can’t live the city life?” Still, pandemic or not, millennials are becoming homeowners and looking for more space as they start families.
Why Sacrifice the City Life When You Live in the Suburbs?
One of the compromises that many former urban dwellers are unwilling to make when they move to the suburbs is the lifestyle they enjoyed while living in the city. But, more space means lower density neighborhoods, which in turn means that many conveniences of city living just aren’t economically viable in the suburbs. So, how do you bring the conveniences of city services and retail to the suburbs?
A New Mode of Suburban Commerce
Of course, there are businesses in the suburbs, but they’re often concentrated in a small area — a small downtown, mall, or strip mall — that most residents can only reach by driving. While this allows for many of the kinds of retail and service experiences that can be found in the city, it is not particularly convenient and the diversity of businesses is often quite low. Online ordering has become the principle alternative to driving to the mall. While this is obviously convenient, the opportunity for community interaction and serendipity is completely lost.
A third option — and the idea that Zing is exploring — is delivering retail and service experiences to suburban areas with mobile pop-up shops. With modular, connected vehicles, a wide range of retail and service experiences can pop up where and when they’re needed, and move on to another node of demand after one has been exhausted. These shops, parked on the corners of suburban streets, offer convenience to customers along with the opportunity to interact with the community.
Could this finally be the way to solve the suburban density problem?
