Exit and Voice in U.S. Settlement Change

The prescriptions of top-down land use planners and the actions of the people who shape U.S. cities, consumers and developers, are at odds. In spite of various recent pronouncements that the “Smart Growth” movement has begun to reverse suburbanization trends, the opposite appears to be the case. Population data from the 2000 census and employment trend data from the Commerce Department's REIS (Regional Economic Information System) file corroborate the view that the decentralization of people and jobs continues. Falling transportation and communications costs strongly suggest that most people will continue to choose suburban low-density living.