[ryoshoe]

Part of what I think they were getting at is that suburban living is usually a long term burden on state budgets because the lower density means that maintenance costs aren't fully covered by tax revenue. If people want to live in these communities they should be expected to cover the costs, but since the necessary tax increases aren't popular they never get passed and the budget becomes unbalanced

[dangus]

Even worse, this cycle has been repeating since the advent of the automotive suburb:

1. New suburb is built, new residents are attracted by new housing stock and good value.

2. 40 years pass, the built infrastructure has aged to the point of needing refurbishment or replacement

3. Suburban government is forced to raise property taxes to cover maintenance

4. Affluent residents leave as they are attracted to a more recently built suburb with new housing stock and lower property taxes

5. Repeat steps 2-4