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Title: Are Demographic Forces Generating an Urban Revival?: American Cities, 1950-2006

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2009

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Abstract: The share of metropolitan residents living in the central city has declined continuouslysince 1950. We show that, if not for a series of demographic factors notably renewedimmigration, a falling share of households with children and a reduction in the number ofveterans, many of whom have access to housing benefits cities would have contracted evenfurther. We provide causal estimates of the relationship between the presence of children orveteran status and living in the central city, relying variously on the occurrence of twins orcomparisons between birth cohorts coming of age during and after the mass mobilization forWorld War II. We conclude that demographic trends were only strong enough to stanch the flowof population from cities, not to generate an urban revival.

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Authors: Platt Boustan, Leah; Shertzer, Allison

Conference Name: Population Association of America

Publisher Location: Dallas, TX

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Other

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