Green Options

With the end of cheap oil will we need to revive the Mom and Pop business?

For the past several years, a motley crew of Americans ranging from novelists to energy investors to senators have warned that rising gas prices will end the suburban way of life and force hordes of people back into cities. As driving even small amounts becomes painfully expensive, it is becoming easy to accept this prediction. But will it hold up?

According to The Los Angeles Times, maybe not. Statistics show that despite gas prices approaching $5/gallon, many suburbs are doing better than cities in terms of population growth and job creation. According to the 2000-2006 census, 90% of all metropolitan growth is occurring in suburban communities.

This may seem counterintuitive—shouldn’t high gas prices encourage people to live closer to centers of employment? Well, yes. But cities are currently lacking the abundance of jobs that would encourage mass migration.