Re:Remote work turns America into Suburban nation
by analog31 on Saturday May 06, 2023 @11:30AM
(#35842313)
I live in the upper Midwest. A growing number of small towns have evolved away from the "town center" model, and now have a mostly vacant / decaying downtown, and strip malls anchored by big-box stores, at the edge of town. Or, the same thing but with the stores in a neighboring town. In other words, the small towns have re-structured themselves as suburbs without the urb.
The exceptions are towns with a hospital or college that can retain some vitality in the downtown area.
Suburbs sometimes have a town center but often it's much more amorphous with different strip malls and such. Everything is spread out. There is no place where you're at the heart of the town, in the center of activity. And even if there is such a place, it's probably driving distance, just like everything else. You need a car because everything is spread out because all the areas of activity are surrounded by parking lots.