Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Comparing 20 Years of Housing Growth in American Cities

Here's an interesting way to visualize how different regions are growing (or not). Using a tool developed by the University of Virginia Demographics Research Group, Michael Andersen at Bike Portland shares these charts showing where housing growth has happened relative to city centers. The dark brown lines show the number of occupied housing units at one-mile intervals from the urban core in 2012, and the orange lines show the distribution in 1990. The gap between the lines tells you where housing growth has happened, and there is huge variation between regions.

In Denver, for instance, you can see that housing growth was concentrated between eight and 20 miles from the city center:

Image: Bike Portland
Denver: The orange line shows occupied housing units in 1990. The brown line shows 2012. Image: Bike Portland
false

In other places -- especially large, in-demand coastal cities like LA -- housing growth has barely changed (note that the y-axis is scaled differently in each chart):

occupied-units-los-angeles-540x285
Los Angeles. Image: UVA via Bike Portland
false

And some rust belt metros, like Pittsburgh, have actually seen a decline in center city housing occupancy:

Image: Bike Portland
Pittsburgh. Image: UVA via Bike Portland
false

Andersen says Portland's pattern is unusual:

Image: Bike Portland
Portland. Image: UVA via Bike Portland
false

Notice how housing growth tapers and then stays very low at about 15 miles out? That's Portland's urban growth boundary. Andersen thinks it's helped the city's development patterns evolve in a healthy way, but going forward he wonders if the city center will keep up with the times:

The more you look at, the more Portland’s chart up at the top stands out. Our urban growth boundary (including the fuzzier but still functional one in Clark County, Washington) hasn’t stifled growth; it’s directed it, mostly to the inner suburbs.

But things have been changing. For the fourth year in a row, the Census Bureau reported Thursday, Multnomah County added more residents than any of its suburbs.

Over 20 years, the Portland area has mostly kept up with wave after wave of demand for suburban homes. Will its central city be able to do the same?

Elsewhere on the Network today: ATL Urbanist discusses the link between poverty and car dependency in the capital of the South. And after visiting a monument to Sam Walton in Oklahoma, Strong Towns' Chuck Marohn reflects on how future generations will view the Wal-Mart founder's impact on America's transportation system and build environment.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

DOT Proposing A 14th Street-Style Busway For 34th Street

It's the sequel you've been waiting for. Here's hoping Mayor Adams delivers, said one activist.

May 19, 2025

Sohn in Albany: State Bill to Force Drivers to Pass Safety Stalls

Apparently, New York City is just too unsafe for legislation forbidding drivers to pass cyclists too closely.

May 19, 2025

Car Harms Monday: Machines Took Over Cities and Left Humans in the Dust

There isn't enough physical space for every single household to store its fleet of personal vehicles in front of the home, nor is there space for everyone to drive at the same time. So let's fix that.

May 19, 2025

A Valuable History Lesson for Jessica Tisch: ‘The Rules of the Road’ Were Written for Cars

Hey, Commissioner, listen to this historian: When rules recognize reality, suiting the distinct needs of categorically different users, everybody wins.

May 19, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: ‘Hey, Sean, We’re Walking Here’ Edition

The federal Transportation secretary once again shows how little he knows about urban transportation. Plus other news.

May 19, 2025
See all posts