Call me a skeptic, but why exactly would suburbs go the way of the dinosaur? People like cheap land, nice shiny new houses, and fancy new exclusive places. And generally greenfield construction with low land costs and looser zoning/regulatory requirements equals more money and easier money for a residential developer. Urban infill can be expensive, fraught with risks and unknowns, expensive, time consuming, and expensive.
If I was the head of a struggling young family faced with limited financial resources, which would I pick? A decent house with a nice yard in a decent suburb for a low price (remember, these places are dead, empty ghost towns with zero demand
). Or a modest older multifamily unit in town where my kids won't go to the best school district and I barely have enough room in the house for all of us?
Remember gas is cheap. Who cares if you have to drive 15 minutes to go grocery shopping!