[Steely Dan]

this article is chicagoland specific, but it does provide some actual data about the changing preferences among today's home-buyers.

none of this means that mcmansion sprawl-burbia is going to die and wither away, it just means that there is an actual shift in relative desirability currently taking place.

Chicagoland renters and buyers are itching for walkable suburbs. Enter 'surban.'
Danielle Braff
Chicago Tribune

Newbies to Chicago’s suburbs are increasingly stowing cars and slipping into walking shoes.

No longer are McMansions, white picket fences and sprawling square footage topping suburban buyers’ most-wanted list. Instead, proximity to a suburb’s downtown and easy access to restaurants, schools and parks are priorities. For many, walkable suburbs reign supreme.

“Buyer demand has shifted from wanting to be situated in the suburbs, to homes in the urban core,” said Nathan Freeborn, real estate agent with realty website Redfin. “People are trying to get away from using their cars as much as they can.”

That was the goal for the Franken family — Mara, 37; David, 38; Matthew, 5; and Eva, 2 — who moved from Chicago to Glenview about a year ago.

“We wanted to find a home that was close enough to the downtown to enjoy walking like we did in the city,” Mara Franken said. By foot, the Frankens can easily reach a library, train, four parks, a grocery store and a few restaurants.

full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi...515-story.html