Above photo is from NYC based store/online vendor Tiny Living, purveyors of useful things for small spaces. For our future, smaller living spaces.
Author and Urban Studies guru Richard Florida was on NPR recently, discussing his latest article in the Atlantic Monthly on how this recession will alter our national landscape and how we live. According to Florida, we will have mega-regions, with hub cities that "metabolize" ideas and energy that can be turned into money-making ventures.

Suburbanization—and the sprawling growth it propelled—made sense for a time. The cities of the early and mid-20th century were dirty, sooty, smelly, and crowded, and commuting from the first, close-in suburbs was fast and easy. And as manufacturing became more technologically stable and product lines matured during the postwar boom, suburban growth dovetailed nicely with the pattern of industrial growth.

And further to the point:

But that was then; the economy is different now. It no longer revolves around simply making and moving things. Instead, it depends on generating and transporting ideas. The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people, the highest rate of metabolism. Velocity and density are not words that many people use when describing the suburbs. The economy is driven by key urban areas; a different geography is required.




NPR discusses, in response to Florida's visit, discusses the future of renting vs. owning a home. Here's Florida on home ownership:

"Renting may make sense not just for people who can't afford to buy a house, but for people whose careers require flexibility — and for an economy that's built on our flexibility, single family-owned housing may be a bit inflexible," he says.

I know a lot of professionals who are now commuting great distances because they can't sell their houses...and they're the lucky ones who managed to find new jobs after being laid off. Owning a home certainly has advantages, but it's also an albatross and at times, a hindrance.