The Demographic Inversion

The opposite of suburban sprawl is happening in several large U.S. cities. Author Alan Ehrenhalt in an article in The New Republic calls this "demographic inversion." His article explains how wealthy young whites are moving back into the downtowns of America, making them all the more desirable residential and commercial districts. Ehrenhalt argues that this is so much more than simple gentrification, that these cities are turning into nineteenth century Paris or Vienna with the rich in the center city and the poor in the suburbs.