ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

Poaching is altering the genetics of wild animals

Sometime in the distant past, well before humans walked the Earth, the ancestors of modern-day elephants evolved their iconic tusks. Elephants use their bleach-white incisors — they’re technically giant teeth, like ours but longer — to dig, collect food, and protect themselves.
Then Homo sapiens arrived, and elephant tusks became a liability. Poachers kill the massive animals for their tusks, which are worth about <a href="http://www.savetheelephants.org/about-ste/press-media/?detail=dramatic-changes-in-china-s-ivory-trade">$330 a pound</a> wholesale as of 2017. Hunters slaughter roughly 20,000 elephants a year to supply the global ivory trade, <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-ivory-and-why-does-it-belong-on-elephants">according to the World Wildlife Fund</a>.
But just as tusks evolved because they provide a number of benefits, a striking <a href="http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe7389">new study</a> shows that some populations of African elephants have rapidly evolved to become tusk–less. Published in the journal Science, the paper’s authors found that many elephants in a park in Mozambique, which were heavily hunted for their ivory during a civil war a few decades ago, have lost their tusks — presumably because tuskless elephants are more likely to survive and pass the trait on to their offspring.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634882726_9914_72098" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22944439,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/235q2AucNu9jrAqeiKEzfV3hXF0=/0x0:960x960/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tFt4KWlF3ex-fuWg9KVUito8pUQ=/0x0:960x960/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KQ8eyg2kyUujXPVBzkgzY8mhUB8=/0x0:960x960/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/goYSY35mrmC5yTlsqC9lckA-p0g=/0x0:960x960/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BCYQPF7irpxkGHkM92VYGD4aw8I=/0x0:960x960/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pxk8C_MeyS85AUZA8ZydxBkMnTI=/0x0:960x960/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YG3u_Lw-RMjKzIjVX_z1PH9egxs=/0x0:960x960/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qTewwFyehJy-vOtduFbAVPcH9I0=/0x0:960x960/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CVxdge4Q93EidQD_OpTyruXv7Yw=/0x0:960x960/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="960" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DTO_3YGi1vEgz7_MS_2MAiHDGsk=/0x0:960x960/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CKZVm5ClgQR1PXBQ6PhPYl0TOpM=/0x0:960x960/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oyK-mlQQLvZzUuyBUV64c27vHX0=/0x0:960x960/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rerfEeUbGlIZuXemPL3uCv2irtc=/0x0:960x960/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3ZEjxE6zGPPJZ8uYE4JLnqRP7i4=/0x0:960x960/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UaXNILSe6yPfZeBeP_scwloOWgk=/0x0:960x960/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xuxaal-If4ncTqJF2P1bYBtDn9g=/0x0:960x960/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0Eudtg6K2bfTVfYsPvP7nfksXno=/0x0:960x960/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i7SBIukn490Q9ngS9TUI6aSSFVg=/0x0:960x960/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3xtA2FXYbuIimHf8Z-HCD1F5yPk=/0x0:960x960/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:960x960):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944439/elephant2.jpeg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>A tuskless female elephant in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park.</figcaption>
<cite>Courtesy of Joyce Poole</cite></figure>
While scientists have <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-news-tuskless-elephants-behavior-change">known about this trend</a> for a while — it’s not uncommon to see tuskless elephants in places with lots of poaching — the study provides strong evidence that the trait is rooted in genetics, something previous research failed to do, said Andrew Hendry, an evolutionary biologist at McGill University who was not involved in the research. In other words, the study shows evolution in action.
The results also offer a vivid example of how animals can quickly adapt under human pressures such as poaching and climate change. Past research has shown that creatures can evolve new colors, shapes, and even behaviors to better tolerate the increasingly inhospitable world we’ve created for them. The problem is that even rapid evolution has its limits — and many species are already on the brink.
Social conflict and the decline of wildlife are often closely linked, the authors of the Science study write. Few locations reveal a clearer picture of this than Gorongosa National Park, a protected area in central Mozambique where Shane Campbell-Staton, an evolutionary biologist at Princeton University, led the research.
During a 16-year civil war that began in 1977, poachers on both sides of the conflict slaughtered a huge number of elephants in the park for their ivory, which they sold to finance their efforts, according to the study. Over that period, the number of large herbivores (like elephants) at Gorongosa fell by more than 90 percent.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634882726_5350_72099" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22944440,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AtZpVZtXFdaz0qVQAOsM0KaQ0nM=/0x0:2160x3840/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3a4BreCWOKeOJHyMz77uoaRhQow=/0x0:2160x3840/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/igKovV_c9buvN6ji-8vl2HYLLRo=/0x0:2160x3840/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TXG5IIccG0Om9dMF3wemf-yTWas=/0x0:2160x3840/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7-1rpjov2YPYYPq3rUQPYZEyPJQ=/0x0:2160x3840/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gZWNEv3qYf7XZaUvPFLGYxHV2DE=/0x0:2160x3840/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cBGX_4hFu6NJf-muxbBauxZpSug=/0x0:2160x3840/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yV6o71YwIowS_w1dNcSVxrvgMxM=/0x0:2160x3840/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gzVIJCrveZiExiccC3C2lTtYjvc=/0x0:2160x3840/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="2160" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NAV7jsgNKkNsuAB2yQrJsktamyA=/0x0:2160x3840/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fXqDLtRkBEQEC9O0hCfgjqZJvLY=/0x0:2160x3840/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VVkhG2J9OSCd6Rrv4NvSJ58GBG8=/0x0:2160x3840/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5vIHgGkob913wWect2cbGab8Rks=/0x0:2160x3840/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9xZpgVZUa0niXoXcpFsTu7Mf0L4=/0x0:2160x3840/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TfI_sQaQyQ6lzYyEB9nxb8D55q0=/0x0:2160x3840/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zoVxeQkG96mIObuyFcADbFBIfko=/0x0:2160x3840/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XRS-sFKOrEmqgM-Em44GKHtvnqw=/0x0:2160x3840/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/013JhTDWtpAjKqV7L3D43aLj9Hs=/0x0:2160x3840/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NzmQZ5JiJN2sChVOK2fvo7mg640=/0x0:2160x3840/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2160x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944440/elephant3.jpeg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The researchers have to tranquilize elephants in order to collect their DNA.</figcaption>
<cite>Courtesy of Shane Campbell-Staton</cite></figure>
That’s not all that changed in the park. Between 1970 and 2000 — a period that encompassed much of the impact of the long-running war — the portion of female elephants without tusks nearly tripled. The researchers’ best guess was that it had something to do with genetics: A trait visible only in females suggests it might be associated with changes to genes on the X chromosome. (Female elephants have two X chromosomes, whereas males have an X and a Y chromosome.)
This study all but proved it. The first bit of evidence was that female calves born from tuskless mothers were often themselves tuskless, indicating that the trait is passed on from one generation to the next. “A heritable trait is pretty strong evidence of a genetic basis,” said Robert Pringle, a biology professor at Princeton and a co-author of the study.
The authors also identified a couple of regions in the animals’ DNA that appear to be associated with a lack of tusks. Sure enough, “There is strong evidence for mutations on a particular region of the X chromosome,” Pringle said. Mutations, or variations in an organism’s DNA, are an important engine of evolution. If they result in traits that are beneficial — such as tusklessness, for certain populations of female elephants — they’re more likely to get passed to the next generation and drive evolution.
Remarkably, one of the genes associated with tusklessness is also present in humans, where it’s linked to a condition that limits the growth of our lateral incisors. These are essentially the same teeth that, in elephants, evolved into tusks millions of years ago.
What makes this study so fascinating is that it offers evidence of rapid evolution in an animal that has a pretty long lifespan — 50 or 60 years — in the wild, said Hendry and Fred Allendorf, a professor emeritus at the University of Montana who was not involved in the research.
Studies of elephants “rarely can say anything about the genetic basis” of tusklessness, Hendry said. For years, researchers assumed that rapid evolution was common only in small species with short life cycles. Given these results, “Nobody can argue that evolution isn’t occurring, even in the biggest and longest-lived species,” he added.
In theory, it’s advantageous to be born without tusks in areas where poachers are active, Hendry said. But tusklessness also has its downsides. Elephants need their tusks to dig, lift objects, and defend themselves. The hulking incisors are not useless appendages.
The genes that seem to make female elephants tuskless also appear to prevent mothers from giving birth to male calves — that’s why all the tuskless elephants in the park are female, Pringle said. (Some mothers did give birth to males with tusks, who likely didn’t inherit the gene.) Over time, a shift in the sex of elephants could have consequences for population growth.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634882726_3576_72100" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22944447,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gmGFQqLAErk0541saCPW4cwSh9M=/0x0:5000x3352/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ldeQg-BA83Dk-PELhaDRKFs3_ow=/0x0:5000x3352/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KHmOAA0qgQlQv3Ran7kpgCR8aNg=/0x0:5000x3352/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5p5q0-tkZWhAupWc5KEaxavG7HM=/0x0:5000x3352/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VCngjqKcSI65ZH1b5Qf5FFh90nw=/0x0:5000x3352/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kdA-mVPpkDEsNxsfXZTVHZevLN0=/0x0:5000x3352/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/heTkZSigsZZZ2aeRtcHS2XncTMs=/0x0:5000x3352/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yY0OAqeYqzRt-unM-tUIrQHTLWs=/0x0:5000x3352/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3BHF9zdZSIjs0xokOCIS3pBF2Mg=/0x0:5000x3352/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="5000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0VrSIBeHoTCF79VExnoIY8QaWk4=/0x0:5000x3352/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/phtAYqa9S5SX2lkNCHs4I3_hDpc=/0x0:5000x3352/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yihLqE-DAknCeXIKCZ02ZBiGbEY=/0x0:5000x3352/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1HxhTK5APL8W55szSOZJxBeI6So=/0x0:5000x3352/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6t_aGupNKpW1FzgOmOiGgQgE6PY=/0x0:5000x3352/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Scuz7M3Y87p6zGXRYw5mpFBNZ1s=/0x0:5000x3352/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_8uY5K3kTPrYgZpjw04-IA1dQCg=/0x0:5000x3352/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5PxL2ayy0urFSPZB5tEH5IBgWgk=/0x0:5000x3352/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/alQ7yYhPlk99IdkWHnHftbX6L8g=/0x0:5000x3352/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eIRyGnAE1Z-FiU_wpKkSBRpTPYo=/0x0:5000x3352/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5000x3352):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944447/GettyImages_453370812.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Two male elephants spar in the Masai Mara grassland in Narok, Kenya.</figcaption>
<cite>Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images</cite></figure>
There are also potential costs to African grasslands, which are among the <a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22662490/grasslands-better-than-lawns-yard">rarest and most biodiverse ecosystems</a> on Earth, the study authors write. By turning over soil in search of food and minerals and gouging trees with their tusks, African savanna elephants prevent forests from growing too dense and help maintain grasslands. That’s why they’re considered “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X1100314X">engineers</a>” of the ecosystem. If they lose their tusks, a whole web of plants and animals may feel the impact.
“This evolutionary change could have massive cascading ecological influences,” Hendry said.
Humans have shaped the environment around them for centuries, down to the very genetics of wild plants and animals. The tuskless elephants in this study are just one example in a long list of species that have adapted in response to the pressures we’ve placed on them.
“Human-induced changes are creating conditions for fast biological evolution — so rapid that its effects can be seen in only a few years or even more quickly,” a team of scientists wrote in a landmark intergovernmental biodiversity <a href="https://ipbes.net/global-assessment">report</a> in 2019.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634882726_1781_72101" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22944449,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9Rq2el_jetQNN78LcNLrzFOhg8c=/0x0:4242x2828/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CGaYXaQ2GLlOal0Uvq7LW46U-HU=/0x0:4242x2828/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8k0E5p1OyBq3VEMKdL_kLnQKMng=/0x0:4242x2828/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YqyusqC3Hg9P58tVJUcDGCt0Dtc=/0x0:4242x2828/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BHoSC315jUU7TtZDEhJKpem72sI=/0x0:4242x2828/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7MreCLKPB82U8zYA4vgXS1t9M_U=/0x0:4242x2828/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BAPsFWfKC9ZZAkcCLmnT2_7oOSE=/0x0:4242x2828/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2SRdamTkHPYUKAYlUhWITdW99bA=/0x0:4242x2828/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DrgPhABJLhOjO4kmXXsZO6F-WyE=/0x0:4242x2828/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4242" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gyhzPBBsny3UiT5gGSUA94Rdg_w=/0x0:4242x2828/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pID9PABzOoO80KsrmqTbhYtKrRk=/0x0:4242x2828/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QlSKwR2No5cP-1PHDYAOMvvrEjw=/0x0:4242x2828/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VP8tBk4cVIX1h9QI6EumFcmzjG0=/0x0:4242x2828/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gRkZ1iv5m0HIW3ccjS5mdSOYeX4=/0x0:4242x2828/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G6xwr7rdX1T1X68F305exxahTxg=/0x0:4242x2828/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ygpg8LXjVYxq1OnWeEGWWAP_psk=/0x0:4242x2828/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RmA42T1NNKb9JPVf1kKHFQ6TyTg=/0x0:4242x2828/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AvwflmP8NryVHOS62YNlMQN2BEM=/0x0:4242x2828/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4JbJvX_5DF8m_-sOEyvqvfDdwAg=/0x0:4242x2828/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4242x2828):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944449/GettyImages_821828926.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Light and dark forms of the peppered moth.</figcaption>
<cite>iStockphoto via Getty Images</cite></figure>
One of the earliest and most famous examples is the peppered moth in the UK. Before the Industrial Revolution, most of the moths flitting about England were white with speckles of black, which helped them blend in with lichen and tree bark. Then, in the mid- to late-1800s, coal-fired power plants and mills started belching dark soot that blackened trees in parts of the country. White moths stood out against the newly dark background and were more likely to be eaten by birds, whereas the once-rare black ones were camouflaged and survived. In a matter of years, some populations of peppered moths inverted from white to mostly black. The phenomenon was deemed “industrial melanism.”
Scientists have measured similar changes in recent decades. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02177">One study</a> from 2003, for example, found that bighorn sheep in Alberta, Canada, evolved smaller horns in roughly 30 years. The reason? Trophy hunters tend to target rams with larger horns. Another study, <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31655-9">published in November 2020</a>, suggests that a type of lily found in the mountains of China is evolving less-colorful leaves so it doesn't stand out in regions where it’s harvested as a traditional herb.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634882726_4764_72102" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22944453,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ql45P_PbLKT52gtWops1ANAqOZQ=/0x0:2897x1190/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XMNdmSld-CRqbwWIuFUPjb6sF14=/0x0:2897x1190/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4xyaU3WPMqLeiZin0zcvW8aCwFQ=/0x0:2897x1190/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ILwviZXU0pVdMAkzHIPEqYdz_Yg=/0x0:2897x1190/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AR46KbKDaJn3BxQNcVo0dOM_PBE=/0x0:2897x1190/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pkjmlitFywL7aSoRF-_5sHukOR0=/0x0:2897x1190/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D7tBuNYx2PDGsLGCBjALSbvJiR8=/0x0:2897x1190/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3mYjJkvE1lf0NV7nZPYVNvGvzCk=/0x0:2897x1190/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tQYQ83YVqrmMeg4cPAfw1zZvpYA=/0x0:2897x1190/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="2897" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hYExz8VvsKJmQi4Zim3uQ9WJsjs=/0x0:2897x1190/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nE5xrFLEjgeVHBe35xipj2r7S4w=/0x0:2897x1190/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ay3R1S9DPQ-qHJQE3a_tBnWtO3s=/0x0:2897x1190/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DRngzHnB9rVmFbamyG-5LS03jZk=/0x0:2897x1190/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aMQ0ZtV25gD4KFRNjFtokkWPa3M=/0x0:2897x1190/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q0i58UVR0SvkTzPviVP8jdHQfD8=/0x0:2897x1190/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8eXiFwnm7pCIZU1lEN-gJ7P06_U=/0x0:2897x1190/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RnxE9cLijQzSUJd4KjHGaCDXfLQ=/0x0:2897x1190/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lid5sAYNc81pkDOWlc7vNxlLmg0=/0x0:2897x1190/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RdTdH4jiljl3LR0U2H7Bo0AlQFw=/0x0:2897x1190/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2897x1190):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944453/1_s2.0_S0960982220316559_gr1_lrg.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>In regions where a kind of lily called Fritillaria delavayi is heavily harvested, the plant has adapted better camouflage (see images C and D).</figcaption>
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31655-9" target="_blank">Niu et al./Current Biology</a></cite></figure>
Rising temperatures from climate change also appear to be making some animals, including birds and mammals, smaller, as I <a href="https://www.vox.com/22558979/animals-birds-shrinking-size-heat-climate-change">previously reported</a>. Smaller bodies cool off more easily than larger ones, so shrinking could be an adaptive response in warming environments (though it’s not yet clear whether these particular changes are genetic).
Then there are species changing in less conspicuous ways. In Japan, populations of mamushi snakes that are heavily hunted for their perceived medicinal and nutritional benefits <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18798855/">seem to be better at evading predators</a>, compared to snake populations that hunters have ignored. Many species, including plants and insects, have evolved resistance to pesticides, which is why farmers often use <a href="https://www.vox.com/22612979/pesticide-mixtures-kill-bees-insects-pollinators">several at once</a> and chemical companies must constantly develop new solutions.
There’s something like hope behind the idea of rapid evolution. Humans are deforesting, polluting, and exploiting the Earth at an alarming pace, yet in some cases, animals are adapting to live another day. There’s even a term for this resilience, Hendry said: “evolutionary rescue.”
Still, this evolution, as fast-tracked as it may be, still often isn’t quick enough to overcome the many threats species face. And because adaptations can also come with drawbacks, there are untold and unpredictable consequences for the ecosystem at large.
Plus, not all species can adapt their way out of crisis. Consider rhinoceroses, which <a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22723289/3d-printed-rhino-horn-wildlife-conservation-poaching">poachers kill for their horns</a>. Three of the five rhino species have been hunted almost to extinction, yet none appear to have evolved hornlessness.
In Gorongosa National Park, the ecosystem has <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0212864">largely recovered</a> from the war, Pringle said. Poaching has subsided, but tusks haven’t bounced back. After the war, the park successfully rebuilt its infrastructure, ramped up law enforcement, and put social development programs into place. The presence of tuskless elephants is now akin to a scar from an injury that’s healed, Pringle said. So while evolution may have helped these creatures survive, the real remedy is putting an end to the underlying forces that triggered it in the first place.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22735163/elephant-tusks-genetics-evolution-adaptation-hunting">https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22735163/elephant-tusks-genetics-evolution-adaptation-hunting</a>

vox Poaching is altering the genetics of wild animals

Sometime in the distant past, well before humans walked the Earth, the ancestors of modern-day elephants evolved their iconic tusks. Elephan...

Remote work is bringing the city to the suburbs

Watertown, Massachusetts, has long been a popular place to live due to its proximity to Boston and its distinction as having a very large Target. Thanks to remote work, locals say the city is now becoming <a href="https://www.redfin.com/city/29540/MA/Watertown/housing-market#trends">more attractive</a> in its own right.
More people spending more of their time in Watertown has meant more urban amenities, like trendy stores, coffee shops, and even a potential <a href="https://watertownfoodcoop.org/">food co-op</a>, for the once sleepy suburban community.
Developers are <a href="https://bostonrealestatetimes.com/watertown-mall-sells-for-130-million-to-alexandria-real-estate-equities/">buying up</a> <a href="https://www.bisnow.com/boston/news/life-sciences/harrison-street-pays-92m-for-watertown-vaccine-production-site-in-sale-leaseback-deal-110553?fr=operanews">real estate</a> in the hope that it will become a destination for the life science and innovation sectors. A once defunct mall is currently being converted into mixed-use space full of retail, residences, and restaurants that act more like a downtown than Watertown’s actual downtown. The <a href="https://www.arsenalyards.com/">Arsenal Yards</a> project began before the start of the pandemic, but much of the leasing has happened after it. Already, 76 percent of its apartment space and 85 percent of its retail space have been leased. And its developers expect full occupancy next year.
Watertown is one of many American suburbs undergoing a similar transition as a consequence of the pandemic.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_3166_79808" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22930341,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zil7O3aJ9zIeOARaw5QcF0Mjz9A=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x9jpFrjf9TVLmg825tHKtRSZTl4=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dH4sI2KNDrnckRhCv7PJML_LVb8=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/liBMzaRhL9H8PiGiDML_v3DT6ho=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d6s-1nmJMoHp3wID5MXuhk0S_gg=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B3oUorJglTBy8-bquEaNvedaxFo=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ItCc3JJRxuNXHCqGfQJU39nMWLU=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5gF6TOezW5SE-3Oo-dxJvwZLZUk=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aJ8JyKDdMZhrMAM9i02Vb0J4dJ4=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Tightly packed rows of mostly identical houses, seen from above." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BoU3NJxVWKvvqtZa2Zlf1uB_Vp4=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SWORrBrdQGpgSbbF_99REVmsULw=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6uD3AfSDg6DWkZiKYQlG3tsUub4=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q89Nu5c2LDgJLBtEjHzN2c4HwfY=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ua-xSnnFqe5a6nNCnMx1ZrE4JrE=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CaA_nWBNbVh0edfO-GMPs739U2w=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9C-VJ2sONoNS_UTO61qNdn3VmTM=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f6H3CcgAzuq5ggsEzE5PvEIb8i4=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lDniDGt4-YRgE0tGuGflSQ241l4=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q1utd6vEFtqbQBkG64MoyedK7Jw=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930341/GettyImages_1178659422.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Single-family suburban homes, like these in Cupertino, California, are characterized by lawns, similar construction, and proximity to cities.</figcaption>
<cite>Sam Hall/Bloomberg via Getty Images</cite></figure>
In the spring of 2020, many of the typical draws to cities — plays, nightclubs, restaurants — shut down. Space took on a premium, as small apartments close to others felt particularly claustrophobic. All of a sudden, a big home in the suburbs for the same monthly price as a tiny apartment in the city got a whole lot more attractive. The lifestyle also seemed safer, as you could travel in the isolation of your own vehicle and play in personal green spaces with less fear of infection. More companies than ever are <a href="https://www.littler.com/files/2021_littler_employer_survey_report.pdf">allowing employees to work from home</a>, and studies say that between <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">13</a> and <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/355907/remote-work-persisting-trending-permanent.aspx">45 percent</a> of the workforce is now remote some or all of the time.
As a result, a new rush to the suburbs is well underway. The number of net new households that moved to the suburbs <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pandemic-supercharged-changes-in-where-americans-live-11619536399">grew 43 percent last year</a>, according to data from the Wall Street Journal, compared to 2019. While that naturally slowed in the first half of 2021, <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/migration-in-the-first-half-of-2021">urban areas are still losing people</a> as they relocate to suburban and rural areas.
People who left their city apartments for houses in the suburbs aren’t just living in the suburbs, they’re working there now, too. In turn, the people and services these workers may have relied on in city centers are moving to the suburbs as well. All of this will affect which businesses thrive and what real estate develops in the suburbs. It could also change traffic patterns, exacerbate urban sprawl, and heighten inequality.
New suburban businesses and improved real estate trends could lead to revitalized communities, less travel, and better quality of living for some. But not everyone will benefit. Sprawl is bad for the environment and can make life <a href="https://www.urban.org/features/too-far-jobs-spatial-mismatch-and-hourly-workers">worse for the poorest Americans</a>.
People might be leaving behind the cities, but that doesn’t mean they want to forgo the city lifestyle. Even in the suburbs, people still want to be able to grab a quick coffee and a sandwich, and maybe a midday workout, and they don’t always want to do that at home. That demand has huge repercussions for commerce and construction. Research from <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28876/w28876.pdf">Stanford’s Arjun Ramani and Nicholas Bloom</a> estimates that the largest cities have lost approximately 15 percent of their population and business to the suburbs.
Of course moving to the suburbs isn’t new: People young and old have long left the bustle and tight quarters of cities for the relative serenity and expanse of the suburbs. The postwar period created the suburbs as we know them, with many families accepting commutes in exchange for big houses outside urban hubs. In recent decades, that trend reversed. As newer generations glommed on to the entertainment, energy, and easy public transit of cities, population growth in many <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304830704577493032619987956">cities again outpaced suburbs</a> beginning a decade ago.
But now suburbs are swelling again. Even before 2020, the suburbs had been <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/06/pandemic-suburbs-are-best/613300/">urbanizing for years</a>, as suburban dwellers sought the ease and efficiency of mixed-use areas that centered homes among commerce. But the increased prevalence of remote work has supercharged that progression by making it more viable.
This influx of people from cities to the suburbs will in some ways make the suburbs a lot more like the city, with more businesses located within walking distance of where people live. Achieving something that resembles urban density in the suburbs requires repurposing existing real estate to support a wider variety of businesses and functions, according to June Williamson, a professor of architecture and urban design at the City College of New York and co-author of <a href="https://ssa.ccny.cuny.edu/blog/2021/02/09/case-studies-in-retrofitting-suburbia/">Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia</a>.
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside><q>“I do not foresee a circumstance where a bunch of people who bought homes [in the suburbs] are going to just en masse turn around” —Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow</q></aside>
</div>
“The model is to reuse spaces, so instead of one entity, it’s lots of smaller businesses,” Williamson said. “There might be a food court, farmers market, hairdresser, preschool, lots of events, maybe a micro hotel — basically an ersatz downtown.”
Shifts in where people are spending their time are transforming how all kinds businesses in the suburbs work, too. Previously, suburban businesses were beholden to the daily commute — catering to people headed out to the city in the morning, emptying out during the day, and picking back up only after people returned home for the evening. A suburban restaurant near a transit hub, for example, might only get enough business to support a breakfast and dinner service, so wouldn’t be profitable midday.
“[Suburbs] used to be incredibly dead because there were just large stretches of time when no one was there,” Arpit Gupta, an assistant professor of finance at NYU’s business school, said. Having people live and work in one area means there is a more regular flow of people throughout the day, which is better for sustaining a wider variety of businesses.
“In the long run, I think it will make the suburbs more vibrant,” Gupta said.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_4830_79809" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22941937,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TNsW28DN_PU18LVLJze0OGJdWnU=/0x0:1728x1175/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fg9dQgsFxnfaDRo61vtO5GITV9Q=/0x0:1728x1175/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5dSAUxYDTAi_NdumaSBJxWqLb6Y=/0x0:1728x1175/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fiiTptSh_QU3U9uvCVbgvJyz8oI=/0x0:1728x1175/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-ZE6WXa7q9rZQcFP3Q6AC4YtK0E=/0x0:1728x1175/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iYYALNrfIJl8pO1YiBKFL2F6s-M=/0x0:1728x1175/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8cVeX9h4EzVoGGzqYfon0mnjgDg=/0x0:1728x1175/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F_NeW-jT4SVG9YunfwOqF_-z188=/0x0:1728x1175/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RD8tK9J7Njcfy1d68JRGsjkaavA=/0x0:1728x1175/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Arsenal Yards at night" data-upload-width="1728" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5-DgtE7bMtnPaBmmYFMHaxSLef0=/0x0:1728x1175/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F495F0C7aRoSzH0cfcYPwDGKiXY=/0x0:1728x1175/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5IQn8gXRN7TknQRpMRdcCvtYwE8=/0x0:1728x1175/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/roFsuQ7xSlWl0Ef7xCOdnb_V-nw=/0x0:1728x1175/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yVSeQSwCOm9n7mk2XDr0wKcjfm0=/0x0:1728x1175/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2ofQ_ngKrPxfSkzXCJU3I7KFF_s=/0x0:1728x1175/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l45LLP8bFyhkmLBjvLxeaXEMunA=/0x0:1728x1175/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VDVV1uC963GwmJfb9Uadr8RtS_0=/0x0:1728x1175/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wgl357qYvtGmI6u5PmFGze5ogUo=/0x0:1728x1175/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/04Sg8INSF7ZOZLErJ8GKro_GR4E=/0x0:1728x1175/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1728x1175):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22941937/2021AG414_238.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Arsenal Yards in Watertown, Massachusetts, calls itself an “urban village.”</figcaption>
<cite>Anton Grassl</cite></figure>
A number of examples of <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90678287/the-suburban-office-park-rises-from-the-dead">repurposing bygone suburban real estate</a> for mixed-use are also popping up around the country. While some of these projects were initiated before the pandemic, the influx of people to these areas since the pandemic began is making the fate of these developments more secure. The Arsenal Yards development mentioned earlier books itself as an “urban village set right in the heart of Watertown’s historic East End.”
In the suburbs outside of Austin, Texas, another defunct shopping center, the Highland Mall, is <a href="https://aquilacommercial.com/learning-center/highland-redevelopment-austin-texas-whats-planned-construction/">being converted</a> into a community college campus, office space, housing, and stores in addition to parks and trails. During the pandemic, <a href="https://bell.works/chicagoland/explore/">Bell Works</a>, a “destination for business and culture” that already had a location at the former Bell Labs headquarters in Holmdel, New Jersey, opened a second office, dining, and fitness space in another former AT&T campus in the Chicago suburbs. It bills itself as a “little metropolis in suburbia.”
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_1245_79810" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22929428,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PYrghuoQEF4bAeIzbg4v5bc9z2M=/0x0:5917x3950/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DK2lB4iGF9Y4fDcTpN27u9Sbqco=/0x0:5917x3950/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wiF7N7LeD0G4q7E59xwk-d3ZUto=/0x0:5917x3950/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2zgV3fEpxwb2bTXsgV6BxstLZkQ=/0x0:5917x3950/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/axpej9vOa_mpd-M156CeyRgIwnU=/0x0:5917x3950/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GOm1ryu6JUIwuUmrSUAP0R2-qAA=/0x0:5917x3950/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AfvF5YlFwpMX85JU16lqQEGt2yU=/0x0:5917x3950/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8lHg8UPvk9ujTFwQTXqOmPaLA5Y=/0x0:5917x3950/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ojp_hNYJd5AskSMo0Zmu96Dqgpo=/0x0:5917x3950/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="People work at tables in a mixed-use building that formerly housed a research and development&nbsp;facility for Bell Labs." data-upload-width="5917" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7X2NaV5zd89MqJ99di7XFSds5j8=/0x0:5917x3950/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/28oSZkX36n_G5wfTQtFRrSyJt0g=/0x0:5917x3950/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JZ3eevSMlOscZvw3fJE6EqZXxT4=/0x0:5917x3950/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Gwe0mxPejI0S4b3IYNu9E0qZ3eQ=/0x0:5917x3950/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ffj80wRsyFZo1Ax3b6CE4_Ehpk0=/0x0:5917x3950/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gddBrBOdMfiSMuQdR70FHIqs62A=/0x0:5917x3950/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YCdfdxaEguLnpSCO6wJ4_f7vq8Q=/0x0:5917x3950/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qohhV-1bVpbzzj5uQmHnjuTq6ZE=/0x0:5917x3950/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hihaMTGi4opYREyunwTyWpGVi_o=/0x0:5917x3950/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p5gl26xt1oZsMqfPEHx3h9OP6I4=/0x0:5917x3950/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5917x3950):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22929428/OBP_8461.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Remote work could be a boon for mixed-use spaces like Bell Works coworking, residential, and retail space in New Jersey.</figcaption>
<cite>Courtesy of Bell Works</cite></figure>
</div>
Office real estate is also changing in the suburbs and mimicking the city coworking trend of the last decade. Prices for suburban office real estate haven’t declined nearly as much as downtowns, according to data from real estate firm <a href="https://www.cbre.com/">CBRE</a>. Working from the suburbs doesn’t necessarily mean working from home. For those whose homes aren’t suitable for work or who need space to meet or collaborate, or who just enjoy going into an office, a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/suburban-homes-and-retail-are-the-budding-new-office-hotspot-11620129603">cottage industry of suburban office options</a> is popping up.
“My competitor is right now your home and maybe Starbucks,” said Joel Steinhaus, a former executive at the coworking space pioneer WeWork and cofounder of <a href="https://www.daybase.co/">Daybase</a>, a coworking company that plans to open spaces in former suburban retail stores like Pier 1 Imports and Victoria’s Secret. WeWork and its model for flexible office space rose to prominence in the early 2010s, when city centers were thriving and companies were experimenting with new approaches to real estate. WeWork <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/9/23/20879656/wework-mess-explained-ipo-softbank">nearly went under</a> just before the pandemic.
In some cases, suburban coworking may be more popular than in cities, according to new <a href="https://blog.liquidspace.com/news-stream/the-sf-bay-area-has-become-the-testing-ground-for-the-new-hybrid-workplace">data from LiquidSpace</a>, a marketplace for coworking space. Sacramento, a popular decampment for people moving from the high prices of the Bay Area, currently has more bookings on the site than San Francisco.
Housing in the suburbs is changing, too. It’s getting more expensive. Due to high demand and limited supply, housing prices in the suburbs and exurbs have skyrocketed, while prices in major city centers have stagnated. For example, central Boston saw its home value grow 9 percent in the last two years, while prices for places within commuting distance of the city like Worcester and Providence grew about 30 percent, according to <a href="https://app.developer.here.com/home-value-commute-times-zillow-covid19-pandemic/">data from Zillow and HERE Technologies</a>.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_6235_79811" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22920853,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IxjwQ6OBpwTaDk7T-j7PmtpPgaA=/0x0:1502x1136/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8ya2d-aV_84YEBGGnCVyF0oBNbE=/0x0:1502x1136/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dIsEmBfPfoz5-3Tug5N1tlGoCGk=/0x0:1502x1136/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dscTmZ25otPg-BgG0dzzRaSUdQw=/0x0:1502x1136/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MdxFdtvlYozGg8t-qn5b4FMrZO8=/0x0:1502x1136/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j6KQFQt5sxzumhEWiZj3fkR1mFU=/0x0:1502x1136/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Yrfze9phanGqM3b_BgqZdRxgk5A=/0x0:1502x1136/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/375LoKS45-vvHEYW-22wqMQvuo8=/0x0:1502x1136/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4jbPBVDzra7u1Xze8bxCZmwr91U=/0x0:1502x1136/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="1502" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/a3DyqHX80qpLq7yvNO7OrlQGazk=/0x0:1502x1136/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tHek_hYK2jVWHsApxnhHSPi1tSA=/0x0:1502x1136/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u5wpH81HFn0UIjmdA7ii1uWqBb0=/0x0:1502x1136/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZT-YoU-a_qfOGKfaHA5zlOFsF8g=/0x0:1502x1136/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/inNYuinxq5gYqjrBFZQDui-62uQ=/0x0:1502x1136/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v9pq6uXMAyVxGyeMaZPO5FGpou4=/0x0:1502x1136/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TeIkVK22U6KEOgbIyNbW2rE0ql0=/0x0:1502x1136/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hJhp3UrnmI1ARk0DEwyWcharF8o=/0x0:1502x1136/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wZed2t5FpBhNhzYiSZXve-n5dw8=/0x0:1502x1136/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ReT4Rv5T02tYcN1gvGRcrgSGwYg=/0x0:1502x1136/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1502x1136):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920853/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.05.59_PM.png 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The price of homes outside Boston grew much more quickly than central Boston from 2019-2021.</figcaption>
<cite>Zillow and HERE Technologies</cite></figure>
The difference is even more apparent in New York City — a city with a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22264320/jobs-report-unemployment-rate-inequality">high concentration of remote workers</a> — where the median home price in urban areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens actually declined while prices for homes 90 minutes away went up about 25 percent in the past two years.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_9874_79812" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22920839,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1GkIV7MFgTTG0x4Gj-9tD7LOjcU=/0x0:1556x1156/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9xk7deOElIkUYRSDi4bZ3RY9rEI=/0x0:1556x1156/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bMBBpw8iA4RVH3-MlaS6nMBjhlU=/0x0:1556x1156/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JiV75exniB85obRlqejQZwm-jdQ=/0x0:1556x1156/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NCflOQtBsTJxwamaRB_nILFYRUo=/0x0:1556x1156/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mSDxn8l8nmbHL4bdkgRPIcTF7hQ=/0x0:1556x1156/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i0nrhQMpNisOQ3c-Vjmeappnxs8=/0x0:1556x1156/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ezVX1INVtY9JIoJaMFgYFgTc8Yg=/0x0:1556x1156/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VSbxpkMMk8soH-7xjOESRQaW9W8=/0x0:1556x1156/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="1556" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VC4DGd_R3qTOJnu2ljQJxe3uoNU=/0x0:1556x1156/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V36NvgRP16idH6YyCZSzn2PSjIg=/0x0:1556x1156/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Lw4_iQfzo4dN6zwkt5R1Ld91OhA=/0x0:1556x1156/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ACfPJL1NgOtWxDQoUavhLa90ztE=/0x0:1556x1156/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0QWLW_IUBOKdkrC54HhJDMR1N5w=/0x0:1556x1156/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YQi58HlSoj6sH3G6kank5anw_6A=/0x0:1556x1156/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-lWd5Wvsu4k-SaCRRA9rVcY5Lkc=/0x0:1556x1156/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tigMMTQ4qLjRqSpmAcKmDZw0hy4=/0x0:1556x1156/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5CHeiCIIJhCh8D7r0npqFRc3CKQ=/0x0:1556x1156/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PeX7WkOh3hQVznzUpOOCiAmwuwg=/0x0:1556x1156/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1556x1156):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22920839/Screen_Shot_2021_10_12_at_12.03.37_PM.png 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Two-year home values declined in New York city but rose steadily in areas outside it.</figcaption>
<cite>Zillow and HERE Technologies</cite></figure>
“Small, expensive homes close to the office that previously benefited from a short commute as well as proximity to urban amenities — those homes saw a lot of their appeal decline,” Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow, said. That’s because many of the city amenities were curtailed during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the home office became the new office.
“The relative value of space definitely went up,” he said.
While some question how long-lasting the move to the suburbs will be, the fact that people are <a href="https://www.zillow.com/research/2020-urban-suburban-report-28802/">buying so many homes</a> makes it a difficult trend to unwind.
“I do not foresee a circumstance where a bunch of people who bought homes, even if they’re relatively further out, are going to just en masse turn around,” Zillow’s Tucker said. “The vast majority are going to build their lives out there.”
The rush to the suburbs will also affect what houses will look like. Instead of homogenous developments of large detached homes on half-acres of land, Tucker said, new construction includes more varied housing types to meet a broader range of consumer demand. That means construction of townhouses and apartment buildings in addition to the single-family homes of yore. Like the mixed-use retrofits mentioned earlier, these developments will be near or even include businesses within them.
While the move to the suburbs will certainly benefit individuals, it threatens to exacerbate problems that have always plagued the suburbs — transit, sprawl, inequality — unless we do something different this time.
When people talk about the benefits of remote work, skipping their commute — and its logistical and environmental challenges — is often the first thing they mention. However, the jury is out on whether remote work will actually lead to less driving.
Whether or not remote work leads to a net decrease in miles driven will depend on two main factors, according to Adie Tomer, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/experts/adie-tomer/">senior fellow at the Brookings Institution</a>: how many days a week people go into the office and how far from cities they move. We don’t really know the full extent of either yet. Most office companies have said they will operate under the so-called hybrid model, which means employees can split work between home and the office, but many haven’t hashed out the details yet or those details are still in flux. What we do know is that the majority of travel <a href="https://nhts.ornl.gov/assets/2017_nhts_summary_travel_trends.pdf">happens outside of commutes</a>, and when people live in more suburban areas, their average trips to things like grocery stores or restaurants or day care <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/connecting-people-and-places-exploring-new-measures-of-travel-behavior/">are longer</a>.
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside><q>Many suburbs lack good public transit, which makes it difficult for those with lower incomes — or without cars — to be able to get around</q></aside>
</div>
So far, while overall vehicle miles traveled in the US is <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TRFVOLUSM227NFWA">down slightly from pre-pandemic</a>, it varies widely by area. Traffic in city centers is below normal, but it has recovered in the suburbs and is in some cases heavier than before, according to data from <a href="https://www.streetlightdata.com/">StreetLight Data</a>, which studies traffic patterns through cellphone data. Things could get worse as more people head into the office again, leading to more time spent in cars and more greenhouse gas emissions.
Another related issue to consider is how increased remote work could <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-05-12/working-from-home-has-fewer-commuters-on-buses-and-trains">negatively affect mass transit</a>. Fewer people taking mass transit into cities threatens the overall viability of those transit systems going forward. Many suburbs already <a href="https://www.urban.org/features/unequal-commute">lack good public transit</a>, which makes it difficult for those with lower incomes — or without cars — to be able to get around, inhibiting their access to jobs and even basic necessities.
“Urban sprawl makes providing a robust public transit system very difficult,” Christina Stacy, a principal research associate at the Urban Institute, said.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1634883324_2054_79813" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22930374,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XcPFtBR-ruhO98uUY7cifB7LBt0=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/82Px76CbVof6aqgffYlSBUB4piQ=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d13sRzAXBbJZXHvGRSruEeUtHB4=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p9GkasTYKrm_AwR436LOwfjCAko=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j8HNbLsNqtNujsxc3lC4yodWnPc=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BBf7Lh8W0ULoUUHhPrIruVwRN6o=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7rxYY2bHopw1V2C0frHgFusokXM=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NY3iJ5eumFKg92zvQnXj79QBbNM=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wGKgptM0kRiMmRhMK8IR28ZNt4o=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GK3v6edYeszU8iX1tCcChTdizKw=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VTxiJ7eelz_FEoJf5-wfVXr7rPg=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GANNfTOFttZGPU_UrQvA1u2dFWo=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8m5_S7U_JVyJdarv541yykLGgMo=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vJS5M8DOpYWASAEPSydrWwTCHNU=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PSRUzWYF2QRKd67Yje5cwBNF8QI=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GqLp0AwwwuWK2Uysj-X1o65uQBo=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Yuum-C1a0N2WcnMN-2vH05NFh4M=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BvrSQfJdEcz1v2TBpzahuueIaNw=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jDMQaqUIHA6gdCQlMoT3uoARXPg=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22930374/GettyImages_1010283558_copy.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Workers eat a meal on a rooftop deck, which features a dining area, grill, and outdoor television, at a suburban office park in Burlington, Massachusetts.</figcaption>
<cite>David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</cite></figure>
Rising housing prices in the suburbs are making matters worse. New housing in the suburbs tends to happen at the outskirts, where land is available and less expensive, another factor that contributes to sprawl.
While some places like <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-minneapolis-became-the-first-to-end-single-family-zoning">Minneapolis</a> and, more recently, the state of <a href="https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2021-09-17/what-just-happened-with-single-family-zoning-in-california">California</a> are embracing suburban densification by allowing more than one house to be built on a property, that’s by no means the norm and depends on the policies of a given municipality.
Residents in so-called “<a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/32821/412648-Benefits-of-Living-in-High-Opportunity-Neighborhoods.PDF">high-opportunity neighborhoods</a>,” predominantly white areas with low poverty and unemployment as well as ample job opportunities, can be reluctant to embrace these changes.
“In a lot of high-opportunity neighborhoods, homeowners don’t want that increased density. They don’t want increased population. They worry about traffic and congestion and their house prices going down and schools being overcrowded,” Stacy said. That’s an impediment to changing zoning laws to allow more dense and mixed-use building.
If such changes don’t happen and prices continue to rise in the suburbs, poorer residents could get forced out of what’s becoming a more vibrant place to be.
“We need to be careful and make sure we’re preserving and developing affordable housing to allow households to remain in place,” Stacy said. “It’s important for the economy as a whole,” she said, noting that in order to have more amenities, you need people to staff those amenities as well. <a href="https://www.urban.org/features/too-far-jobs-spatial-mismatch-and-hourly-workers">Mismatches</a> between where lower-income people live and where jobs are located lead to higher unemployment rates and longer periods of joblessness. To combat these problems, suburbs will need better transit and more affordable housing near commerce centers.
While today’s suburbs are getting a facelift — younger people, more urban amenities, a more consistent revenue stream from remote workers — many of the problems that have plagued previous iterations of the suburbs persist. In many ways, the suburbs are more vibrant than ever. But to keep them that way, we need to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22714777/remote-work-from-home-city-suburbs-housing-traffic">https://www.vox.com/recode/22714777/remote-work-from-home-city-suburbs-housing-traffic</a>

vox Remote work is bringing the city to the suburbs

Watertown, Massachusetts, has long been a popular place to live due to its proximity to Boston and its distinction as having a very large Ta...

How New York overengineered its million-dollar vaccine passport

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jdVtZfX-IYJXBBf25X967ineut8=/0x100:3000x1671/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22943261/1232077223_copy.jpg" /></div>
New York’s Excelsior Pass is getting more popular. Since it launched in March, the digital vaccine platform has issued millions of passes, which allow people to display proof of vaccination or negative test results via an app developed by the state. But not many businesses are using the Excelsior Pass’s signature feature: a scannable QR code that can quickly verify customers’ vaccination status by checking state records.
While New York state has issued 6 million total Excelsior Passes in the 29 weeks since launch, those passes have been scanned just over 314,000 times, the governor’s office told Recode on Thursday. That amounts to an average of about 10,800 scans per week. The app that businesses use to scan Excelsior Pass QR codes has been downloaded around 156,000 times.
New York, the first state to launch an app-based vaccine passport system, paid IBM <a href="https://www.stopspying.org/excelsior-pass-contract">millions of dollars</a> to help build the Excelsior Pass platform. The system was designed to make reopening safer by providing businesses with a more secure way to confirm vaccination status than checking paper CDC cards, <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22268337/vaccine-card-social-media-cdc-fakes-scams">which are easily forged</a>. But neither New York state nor New York City require businesses to scan the Excelsior Pass, and the low number of total scans suggests the Excelsior Pass is too complicated for its own good. Meanwhile, workers don’t have a strong incentive to prolong the process of checking people’s proof of vaccination when they already face harassment from <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22652766/service-workers-vaccine-passports-customers-mask-mandates">customers angry about Covid-19 guidelines</a>.
Recode first learned that statewide scanning activity was low between March and June after obtaining a <a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22944745/a_report.pdf">report</a> from the New York Office of Information Technology Services through a public records request. The governor’s office then shared the latest data, which showed a similar trend. The scanning figures also match up with anecdotal evidence from more than a dozen New Yorkers who spoke to Recode, all of whom have used the Excelsior Pass but said their QR codes are rarely or never scanned.
“I’ve been to a number of places, more than 10 times. Basically, every time I go out, they look at it, but there’s no scanning,” Bruna Martins, a marketing manager who lives in Manhattan, said. “They don’t even have a scanner.”
“They just sort of look at it. ‘Oh, hey, it’s on your phone. It exists, great.’ I’ve never had anyone scan the QR code,” said Matt Gross, a digital strategist based in Brooklyn.
While New Yorkers said the app was a convenient way to store proof of vaccination, they weren’t sure why the Excelsior Pass included a QR code. Some said they didn’t even know there was a separate scanning app.
The Excelsior Pass system includes two apps: the NYS Excelsior Pass Wallet app, which customers use to store their Excelsior Passes, and the NYS Excelsior Pass Scanner app, which venues use to scan the passes’ QR codes.
New Yorkers can download their individual Excelsior Pass from the state government website by providing personal details such as their name and birthday. The site also asks for the type of vaccine the person received as well as the date of their most recent doses, after which the system cross-checks the information against <a href="https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass-frequently-asked-questions">a state-run immunization database</a>. If everything checks out, the state issues the person an Excelsior Vaccination Pass, which displays their QR code, name, and birthday. There’s also a newer option to retrieve an Excelsior Pass Plus, which also shows the type of vaccine a person received and the date of their doses. The Excelsior Pass system also works with test results and verification systems in other states.
<div>
<div>[embedded content]</div>
</div>
Restaurants, movie theaters, and other venues are supposed to download the NYS Excelsior Pass Scanner app to scan their customers’ passes. When this app scans a QR code, the technology checks to see whether the user’s vaccination information matches the state’s records and is still valid. The scanner app then displays an alert, like “valid,” “expired,” or “not found.” Businesses <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQFEjlOdi9s">are also supposed to check</a> that the name on someone’s pass matches their official state ID.
New York has advertised the Excelsior Pass system as <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-launch-excelsior-pass-plus-support-safe-secure-return-tourism-and">an advanced tool</a> that could help the state reopen <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-launch-excelsior-pass-help-fast-track-reopening-businesses-and">safely and quickly</a>. To build this system, New York’s Office of Business Information Services agreed to pay IBM an initial $2.5 million to build a state-specific version of the company’s existing <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2021/05/why-digital-health-passes-are-the-smart-and-responsible-way-forward/">blockchain-based Digital Health Pass technology</a>. Depending on how many Excelsior Passes are downloaded over the next three years, however, IBM could earn up to $12.3 million more in licensing fees. Overall, the project could cost as much as $27 million, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/nyregion/new-york-excelsior-pass-cost.html">according to the New York Times</a>. The <a href="https://www.stopspying.org/excelsior-pass-contract">IBM contract</a> also stipulates that the Excelsior Pass technology could be repurposed for other tasks in the future, like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/nyregion/excelsior-pass-vaccine-passport.html#:~:text=The%20state's%20contract%20with%20IBM,advocates%20say%20raise%20privacy%20concerns.">confirming someone’s age</a> or checking their driver’s license.
Some Excelsior Pass users say they’re surprised when a venue asks to scan their app. Alina Butareva, a communications professional based in Brooklyn, told Recode that the Barclays Center is the only venue that’s ever scanned her Excelsior Pass. Martins, the marketing manager, said that her code has only been scanned by Pasquale Jones, an Italian restaurant.
The Excelsior Pass scans that do happen vary across a range of industries, according to state data. Sports venues accounted for 29 percent of scans between March and June, while food service businesses accounted for 23 percent and performing arts centers for 22 percent. The governor’s office would not share any additional data about which venues were scanning passes, citing the scanner app’s privacy policy.
Meanwhile, it’s service workers who have the unpleasant job of enforcing New York City’s indoor vaccine mandate. While they can glance at a CDC card and driver’s license, using a new app and scanning QR codes could make the already taxing process of checking vaccine statuses more tedious. After all, these workers have faced <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22652766/service-workers-vaccine-passports-customers-mask-mandates">abuse, violence, and sexual harassment</a> when trying to enforce public health measures during the pandemic.
When asked about the scanner app’s limited usage, the architect of the Excelsior Pass program, Sandra Beattie, emphasized that venues have a choice when it comes to scanning the passes’ QR codes.
“As more strict measures have been put in place, we see scanning activity increase, but that scanning activity is up to the cooperation of individuals, no matter how you’re interacting,” Beattie, the first deputy director of the New York State Division of the Budget, told Recode. “The scanner is optional — recommended, not mandated.”
Leaving the verification piece out of the process is problematic, according to Siddarth Adukia, the technical director at the cybersecurity firm NCC Group.
“If you just look at the pass on a user’s device, that’s no guarantee that the user is actually vaccinated or the credential is genuine,” Adukia said. While he thought the scanning number seemed low, Adukia said it matched up with his own experience visiting venues in New York City.
Despite the low scanning numbers, New York is still trying to expand the Excelsior Pass system. The Excelsior Pass Plus can also be scanned anywhere that accepts <a href="https://vci.org/about#smart-health">SMART Health Cards</a>, which are vaccine passes that adhere to a set of standards developed by the Vaccine Credential Institute. Smart Health Cards are currently being <a href="https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass-plus-frequently-asked-questions">used</a> by businesses in California, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Virginia. New York state <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-excelsior-pass-first-nation-validate-passes-issued-us-states-based">also upgraded its Excelsior Pass Scanner app</a> so that it can scan out-of-state SMART Health Cards, too.
While Excelsior Pass started out as a tool to help New York businesses recover from the pandemic, the state is now exploring how the platform could be retrofitted to verify other types of records and credentials. New York hasn’t decided exactly what the Excelsior Pass system could be used for next, but it is confident there’s a role for these apps in the future.
“Probably one of the biggest lessons learned coming out of the Covid environment [is] our experience with the digital vaccine credential, in that it’s accelerated our thinking about digital governments,” Beattie told Recode.
But if New York’s experience with Excelsior Pass is any indication, when faced with digital solutions, the government can overengineer problems that have more analog solutions. After all, it’s not clear how valuable these high-tech tools will be if people don’t actually use them.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22736276/new-york-state-vaccine-passport-excelsior-pass">https://www.vox.com/recode/22736276/new-york-state-vaccine-passport-excelsior-pass</a>

vox How New York overengineered its million-dollar vaccine passport

New York’s Excelsior Pass is getting more popular. Since it launched in March, the digital vaccine platform has issued millions of passes, ...

Netflix Begins to Cave to the Mob

Pope Francis invoked God in an effort to pressure Silicon Valley giants into censoring more content, including “hate speech” and “conspiracy theories.”
Yes, really.
The Pope made the remarks during a World Meeting of Popular Movements, a shadowy organization created to promote “social justice” and fight racism with the help of religious leaders.
“In the name of God, I ask the technology giants to stop exploiting human weakness, people’s vulnerability, for the sake of profits without caring about the spread of hate speech, grooming, fake news, conspiracy theories, and political manipulation,” he stated.
Pope Francis also invoked the term “post-truth,” which was invented by establishment media organs after they began to lose their monopoly on controlling the narrative following the election of Donald Trump.
The Catholic leader apparently believes it’s Christian and Godly to empower giant corporations to shut down free speech.
This is no surprise given his previous stance on free speech in response to the slaughter of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists, when he <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30835625">rhetorically sided with the terrorists</a> who murdered them in cold blood.
As we document in the video below, which Pope Francis would surely love to see banned, the Supreme Pontiff smears his critics as performing “the work of the devil.”
In reality, his every action and position has served to further the anti-Christ globalist beast system for which he is a willing puppet.
No doubt the Pope would respond to such claims by characterizing them as “conspiracy theories” and “hate speech.”
Beginning to see how this works?
[embedded content]
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube:
Follow on Twitter:
———————————————————————————————————————
Brand new merch now available! Get it at <a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/">https://www.pjwshop.com/</a>
<a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/"><img alt="PJW Shop" border="0" height="600" src="https://cdn.summit.news/2021/07/merch.jpg" width="348" /></a>
ALERT!
In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch.
I need you to sign up for my free newsletter <a href="https://summit.news/newsletter">here</a>.
Support my sponsor – <a href="https://bit.ly/TURBOFORCE">Turbo Force</a> – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown.
Get early access, exclusive content and behinds the scenes stuff by following me on <a href="https://pauljosephwatson.locals.com/">Locals</a>.
———————————————————————————————————————
 
 
source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/10/21/netflix-begins-to-cave-to-the-mob/">https://summit.news/2021/10/21/netflix-begins-to-cave-to-the-mob/</a>

revolution summit Netflix Begins to Cave to the Mob

Pope Francis invoked God in an effort to pressure Silicon Valley giants into censoring more content, including “hate speech” and “conspiracy...

Dumbest Tweet of the Year?

A 200-Year-Old Thomas Jefferson statue is to be removed from the chambers of the New York City council after a unanimous vote by the nine members of the Mayoral appointed Public Design Commission.
Several lawmakers testified that the statue is ‘offensive’, with Democratic Assemblyman Charles Barron of Brooklyn even declaring that Jefferson was a “slaveholding pedophile.” 
Barron added “I think it should be put in storage somewhere, destroyed or whatever.”
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper" readability="5.3581081081081">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="4.9459459459459">
A statue of Thomas Jefferson will be removed from the City Council chambers in New York after a debate over his legacy and association with slavery. <a href="https://t.co/24p8qloLdn">https://t.co/24p8qloLdn</a>
— The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1450230244514881539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
</figure>
Barron continued, “How the hell can people see as a hero someone who had hundreds of enslaved Africans, someone who was a racist and who said we were inferior and someone who was a slaveholding pedophile?”
He further proclaimed that “For [Jefferson] to be canonized in a statue is incredible — incredibly racist.”
<a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/18/thomas-jefferson-statue-ousted-from-city-hall-by-end-of-year/">The New York Post notes</a> that in 1834 the statue was given to the city by Uriah Phillips Levy, “the nation’s first Jewish Naval commodore and an admirer of Jefferson’s belief in religious freedom.”
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/nyregion/thomas-jefferson-statue-ny-city-council.html">The New York Times notes</a> of the statue that “The painted plaster version was later donated to New Yorkers and arrived at City Hall around 1834. When it first arrived in New York, Levy charged to view it and used the proceeds to feed the poor. It was installed in the City Council Chamber in the 1910s.”
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper" readability="7.0982658959538">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="7.985549132948">
NYC votes to remove statue of Thomas Jefferson
This shows the distorted perspective in current debate on history. To even contemplate that simply owning slaves outweighs writing the Declaration of Independence is beyond absurd. It's an assault on America.<a href="https://t.co/LADCepu3HY">https://t.co/LADCepu3HY</a>
— Save Our Statues -Robert Poll (@_SaveOurStatues) <a href="https://twitter.com/_SaveOurStatues/status/1450218352752963591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
</figure>
A local ABC affiliate <a href="https://abc7ny.com/thomas-jefferson-city-council-new-york-save-our-statue/11139323/">reports</a> that the statue is “expected to go on ‘long term loan’ to the New-York Historical Society by the end of the year, where it would be included in educational exhibits with the proper historical context that likely will include discussion of Jefferson’s slave ownership.”
NYC Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa expressed opposition to the move, asking “Do we suddenly wipe out the images, the markings, the names of all those great patriots because they were slaveholders and slave holding was quite common at that time?”
Republican City council member Joe Borelli also accused NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio of waging a “progressive war on history.” 
“The de Blasio administration will continue the progressive war on history as he, himself, fades away into a portrait on a City Hall wall,” the Staten Island member <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/13/de-blasio-booting-founding-father-jefferson-from-city-hall/">told </a>the New York Post. 
Back in 2017, after statues of Confederate figures were targeted, President Trump predicted that soon enough it would be statues of Jefferson and Washington that would face the axe.
“This week it’s Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You really do have to ask yourself: ‘Where does it stop?’” Trump asked at the time.
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"></figure>
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/statues-washington-jefferson-aren-t-next-it-s-complicated-historians-n793971">The media said</a> Trump was overreacting and pointing to a ‘false slippery slope’.
John Oliver devoted an entire segment to mocking Trump over the statement:
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"></figure>
Wrong.
Trump was 100% correct.
Again.
It hasn’t stopped. History is being systematically erased.
Earlier this year <a href="https://summit.news/2020/06/22/museum-to-remove-statue-of-president-theodore-roosevelt/">we reported</a> on the woke mob succeeding in influencing a MUSEUM in New York to remove a statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt.
<figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"></figure>
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube:
Follow on Twitter:
——————————————————————————————————————— 
Brand new merch now available! Get it at <a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/">https://www.pjwshop.com/</a> <a href="https://www.pjwshop.com/"><img alt="PJW Shop" border="0" height="600" src="https://cdn.summit.news/2021/07/merch.jpg" width="348" /></a>
ALERT! In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch.
We need you to sign up for our free newsletter <a href="https://summit.news/newsletter">here</a>.
Support our sponsor – <a href="https://bit.ly/TURBOFORCE">Turbo Force</a> – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown.
Also, we urgently need your financial support <a href="https://www.subscribestar.com/paul-joseph-watson">here</a>. ———————————————————————————————————————
 
 
source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/10/21/dumbest-tweet-of-the-year/">https://summit.news/2021/10/21/dumbest-tweet-of-the-year/</a>

revolution summit Dumbest Tweet of the Year?

A 200-Year-Old Thomas Jefferson statue is to be removed from the chambers of the New York City council after a unanimous vote by the nine me...

Canada Hospitals Use Drones To Carry Lungs For Transplant

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Canada Hospitals Use Drones To Carry Lungs For Transplant" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-10/3edfk3l_drones-carry-lungs-for-transplant-canada-afp_625x300_22_October_21.jpg" title="Canada Hospitals Use Drones To Carry Lungs For Transplant" /></div>
The drone delivery of transplant lungs marked a global first, according to the company.
</div>
Bromont, Canada:
In the dark of night, a drone takes off from a Toronto hospital rooftop, the hum of its rotors barely audible over the bustling sounds of the cars and pedestrians below in Canada's largest metropolis.
On its maiden flight, with a bird's-eye view of the city's glistening skyline as it glides over apartments, shops and office towers, the drone is carrying a precious cargo -- human lungs for transplant.
The 15.5-kilogram (34-pound) carbon fibre unmanned electric drone purpose-built by Quebec-based Unither Bioelectronics flew just 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) from Toronto Western Hospital on the city's west side to the roof of the downtown Toronto General Hospital.
The trip at the end of September took less than 10 minutes. It was automated but kept under the watchful eye of engineers and doctors.
The drone delivery of transplant lungs marked a global first, according to the company, but a similar flight in April 2019 delivered a kidney to a hospital in the US state of Maryland.
On the Toronto General Hospital's rooftop, the drone was met by a surgical team that whisked the package inside and successfully transplanted the lungs into a waiting patient, saving the life of the 63-year-old man who'd been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
The patient, by happenstance, was an engineer himself who expressed excitement to local media about receiving organs delivered by a drone.
Two days later, in addition to allowing him to breathe again, he was reportedly well enough to attend via videolink his daughter's wedding.
Flying drone in downtown Toronto
"We've proven a very important point, that it's possible to do this safely and (that) you could fly a drone in the middle of downtown Toronto," doctor Shaf Keshavjee, who worked with a technical team for two years on the drone project, told AFP.
The drone carried a refrigerated black container "which maintains the organ's thermal parameters" so that the organ is "viable for transplantation," explained drone engineer Mikael Cardinal of Unither Bioelectronics.
The successful flight, which required advance approvals from health and civil air navigation authorities, followed dozens of test runs as well as modifications, for example, to prevent radio frequency interference in a densely populated city.
In the event of a failure during flight, a ballistic parachute was also installed that would deploy and gently bring the drone and organs package to the ground.
Transplant organs are normally flown to airports (if between cities) and transported by car to hospitals. Using a drone between hospitals is more direct and saves time by avoiding heavy car traffic.
"Now the issue is really how do you scale this (up) to make it available to patients all over the world," said Keshavjee, a lung transplant specialist, describing lungs as among "the most fragile of all organs to preserve and transport."
This innovation, which fills him with pride, makes his partner in the project Cardinal believe that "the future is very positive" for this kind of technological advancement.
According to Cardinal, regulatory changes expected in the coming years will allow greater integration of drones into civil air space.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/canada-hospitals-use-drones-to-carry-lungs-for-transplant-2583787">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/canada-hospitals-use-drones-to-carry-lungs-for-transplant-2583787</a>

news world Canada Hospitals Use Drones To Carry Lungs For Transplant

The drone delivery of transplant lungs marked a global first, according to the company. Bromont, Canada: In the dark of night, a drone ...