How Suburban Are Big American Cities?

[cinyc]

How Suburban Are Big American Cities?
FiveThirtyEight.com/Jed Kolko

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Interesting read. 

Not all "city growth" is created equal - or automatically benefits Democrats.  Suburban-heavy cities are growing faster than more urban ones.  Suburban-oriented growth, especially in the South, may be more Republican than Democrat-leaning.

[Padfoot]

Definitely a good read.  I wish they would have posted maps for more cities though.

[Skill and Chance]

It's complicated.  In the case of Southern suburbs, as the sprawl encroaches on formerly rural areas, the newcomers will generally be Republicans.  But the net effect is expanding business moderate vs. social conservative influence.  These people may not be liberals, but they can and will tell candidates like Santorum and Huckabee off in a way that the locals won't.  A bunch of moderate Republicans could be just what Texas and NC need.

[bgwah]

What would be a better way to measure urban growth? 1,000 people people per square mile to 1,500 is a 50% increase. But 50,000 to 70,000 is only a 40% increase. Obviously, the second is a much better example of real urban growth. But how do you quantify that?