Matt Yglesias and Ross Douthat are fighting about cities and suburbs. Interesting discussion worth checking out.  (I’m in a rush this morning, so I’m just quickly going wade in here.)

Middle class families leave the city for a lot of reasons, not just the schools. Affordable housing. Appliances (All you childless hipsters might mock appliances. But I saved hours and hours of drudgery time by having appliances out here in the suburbs. Kids generate a lot of dirty sippy cups. They also puke on their comforters at 4 in the morning.)  The kids can play unsupervised in the backyard. No alternative side of the street parking. I can go and on. My life is MUCH easier out here. I wouldn’t be able to work, if we stayed in the city.

I just don’t think that any of those problems with cities will be fixed any time soon and middle class families will continue to vacate to the suburbs.

However, I do think that suburbs are going to change. The ex-urbanites are bringing their preferences to the suburbs. Suddenly, the homes directly around the town center are increasing in value. They are being renovated by finicky young professionals who don’t really care about big lawns, but like to walk to town for a coffee. Developers are putting up high-end apartment buildings right next to the train station in town. Trains are increasing their traffic to the city.

That’s happening here in my town and we’re one of those finicky families in the downtown area. My husband walks to the bus or the train, which takes him to Times Square. My kids take a bus to school. I drive to the supermarket and my job. Our town is increasing the train stops. They are putting a light rail system into my parent’s town. We walk into town for bagels and coffee.  And at the same time, I have an herb garden, my kids ride their bicycle in the street, and I have time to work.

I think we can take many of the positives of urban life – the walkability, the diversity, the mass transportation, the community – and transplant them to the suburbs. We need to create a hybrid. I think it’s developing on its own, but a little nudge might help.