On the Issues: The Suburbs

The Suburbs: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

This 90-minute event will focus on the place many Americans call home: the suburbs. A Brookings study last spring found the “back to the city” movement, robust earlier this decade, has stalled, with renewed interest in the suburbs. This event will feature a moderated discussion with CityLab senior editor Amanda Kolson Hurley, author of the new book Radical Suburbs: Experimental Living on the Fringes of the American City. The book looks at the surprising history of suburbia, and what the past could tell us about the future. We’ll also hear from Marquette Law School’s Lubar Research Fellow John Johnson about suburban Milwaukee demographics and trends. The event will conclude with a conversation featuring four suburban mayors: Kathy Ehley of Wauwatosa, Dan Devine of West Allis, Dan Bukiewicz of Oak Creek, and John Wirth of Mequon.