[Cyrus]

Can It?

[jaws]

Obviously not. However harsh, lean suburban life will take its place. Let's face it where are people going to live?

[pilferage]

We can swing it for five more years.

[SpaciousDreamer]

This winter if heating bills go sky-high, we will see a lot of suburban belt-tightening. Even without increasing energy prices, suburban families are over-extended due to debt, bills, and property tax. Their disposable income has already been frittered away.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jaws', 'O')bviously not. However harsh, lean suburban life will take its place. Let's face it where are people going to live?

[Cyrus]

For those who said yes; how long do you think it can continue?

[lawnchair]

You can juggle the numbers (call former suburbs cities). Maybe even start to redevelop them. But, since Levittown in 1947, I don't think there's been a net gain in classically-urban space. Since 1950, the US has gone from 152 million to 297 million residents. Oh, and large parts of the country (rural Kansas my own example) have even less population than they did in 1950.

The suburbs aren't going away, there's too many people for 'urban' life without major investment in cities.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cyrus', 'F')or those who said yes; how long do you think it can continue?

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jaws', ' ')Let's face it where are people going to live?

[I_Like_Plants]

I'm not ready to count out suburbia yet. Lots of growing space in the avg. suburban lawn and roof, etc. Use your own shit and you can get good yeilds. Look up a thing called "possum living" on the net and you can see how that extra square footage in the house can be used for chickens and rabbits, no they're not smelly if cared for right.

I see suburbia maybe depopulating a bit, but I'm not ready to count the whole thing out.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('I_Like_Plants', 'L')ook up a thing called "possum living" on the net

[eastbay]

I think 5-20 years from now we will see the decay of the burbs. Some will decline slow...others fast...for example the first waves of Peak Oil will likely wreck havoc in the Sunbelt..ie Vegas and the likes..The bubs in say Ohio may have a slower decline. But they wil all more likely be the slums of tommorow.
I predict by 2030 it will be an entirely new world in the North America.

Leaf,

That's what I was thinking too. Most of the buildings, houses, and assorted infrastructure such as roads, freeways and water systems will slowly deteriorate and in about 25 years it will be largely uninhabited weed-encrusted rubble, but not slums exactly because slums have people.

For the next 5 to 10 years or so, however, the vast suburbs of North America may not appear all that much different from today, but the following period of time will be like slowly crumbling up an empty paper bag.

[Ludi]

Hw large in square feet is the average suburban yard, does anyone know?

[Ludi]

Biointensive agriculture can feed a person on 4000 square feet (sometimes less), so the average suburban yard is probably too small for more than one person.

You might be interested in researching Biointensive, pstarr, it requires fewer square feet than your figures.

[Sgs-Cruz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', 'Y')ou might be interested in researching Biointensive, pstarr, it requires fewer square feet than your figures.

[EnergySpin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')ut of interest (not making a judgement here) does biointensive agriculture produce a diet that meets Canada Food Guide or USDA guidelines

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sgs-Cruz', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', 'Y')ou might be interested in researching Biointensive, pstarr, it requires fewer square feet than your figures.