Matt Britton explains why millennials are choosing cities over suburbs, transforming urban neighborhoods like Brooklyn. Better schools, safer streets, and cultural vibrancy are reshaping what the American dream looks like for a generation that wants to live differently than their parents.
The inner city will be dominated by the creative class. The notion of the inner city blue collar worker will never be that way again. The livable boundaries of cities are getting pushed further and further outwards. I can tell you that this neighborhood looked nothing like this neighborhood 10 years ago and will look nothing like it does today 10 years from now. A big reason why is urbanization the traditional version of the American dream. Getting in a car, driving to the suburbs, having that nice house with a picket fence and two car garage, right? That's taken a U turn. The future consumer has no interest in living in the suburbs. The real estate prices in Brooklyn over the last 10 years were up over 100%. While they flatten out the suburbs, people that are older can see what younger people are doing. And we live in a 24 hour news cycle. And the action is going on right here in Brooklyn, in the city. So people actually want to stay where the action is. Schools are becoming better, cities are becoming safer, and cities create the environment that people sort of imagine for themselves in this new world.