Boomburbs The Rise of America's Accidental Cities

A glance at a list of America's fastest growing cities reveals quite a surprise: most are really overgrown suburbs. Places such as North Las Vegas, NV; Plano, TX; Gilbert, AZ; and Chula Vista, CA have swelled to big-city size with few people really noticing--including many of their residents. "Boomburbs," a term coined by the authors, are large suburbs of more than 100,000 residents that are not the biggest municipality in their metropolitan areas. In this fascinating look at the complicated and often contradictory world of boomburbs, Robert Lang and Jennifer LeFurgy address who lives in them, what drives their development, and how they are governed. The first book to examine these booming suburbs is an essential read for anyone interested in the changing face of America's metropolitan landscape.Found in over twenty-five major metro areas, boomburbs maintained rapid population growth in recent decades with many doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling in size between Census reports. With a combined population of over ten million residents, more than 180 of these super suburbs are located throughout America. Some are now more populated than their better-known, big-city peers. The largest boomburb in the nation, Mesa, AZ, recently passed St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Atlanta in population.Boomburbs are "accidental cities," but not because they lack planning. Many are made up of master-planned communities that have run into one another. Typically large and sprawling, few anticipated becoming big cities and unintentionally arrived at their status. Although boomburbs possess elements found in cities such as housing, retailing, offices, and entertainment, they tend to lack a large downtown. Urban in fact but not in feel, these drive-by cities of highways, office parks, and shopping malls are mainly low-profile places. But they can contain high-profile industries and entertainment venues: the Los Angeles Angels and Arizona Cardinals are among over a dozen major-league sports teams who play in the boomburbs. Interesting, informative, and accessible, Boomburbs explains why America's suburbs are thriving and how they are shaping the lives of millions of residents.

Robert E. Lang is co-director of the Metropolitan Institute and a professor in the Urban Affairs and Planning graduate program at Virginia Tech. He is the author of Edgeless Cities: Exploring the Elusive Metropolis (Brookings). Jennifer B. LeFurgy is a writer and consultant in Alexandria, Virginia. She was formerly deputy director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.