Rating the Suburbs: The Case for Lifestyle Centers

There is a saying in local urbanist circles chiding the concept of so-called "lifestyle centers" that goes like this: "Legacy Village — neither a 'legacy' nor a 'village.' " Nonetheless, these developments are in demand, particularly for young adults. An analysis last year by the Center for Population Dynamics at Cleveland State University found that the area of Crocker Park in Westlake had the sixth-largest increase of 25- to 34-year-olds from 2000 to 2010, ahead of areas within Ohio City and Tremont — Cleveland's premier millennial locales.

Why? Well, the urban core is not for everyone. The suburbs are still the aspirational geography for many Americans, even millennials. "Communities that can offer the best of urban living (e.g., convenience and walkability)," begins a study commissioned by Nielsen that surveyed millennials, "with the best of suburban living ... will be thriving in the coming decade." So there has been a shift in how young adults want their suburbs to feel and look — they want the urban in the suburban.