Real Estate Commons^™

Target Marketing Can Help Attract City Residents, Robert E. Lang, James W. Hughes, Karen A. Danielsen

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

While suburban growth continues, city living is regaining popularity. It is common knowledge that urban neighborhoods often attract young, single professionals, but a more precise identification of potential city dwellers could help cities understand and develop their comparative advantages. Now, perhaps more than ever, cities need to know which people want to live in them and how their vision of urban life may be accommodated by public policy.

A common concern expressed among urban mayors is that the quality of their city services, especially schools, stacks up poorly against that of most suburbs. Improving public education is often cited as …