ARE AMERICA'S SUBURBAN COUNTIES GROWING IN A SIMILAR WAY? INSIGHTS FROM NEIGHBORHOOD-SCALE PROJECTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

Researchers frequently identify key similarities across certain types of places and develop typologies of places to discuss new development trends, reveal common problems, and recommend solutions. However~ places that share some similarities may also have notable disparities that deserve serious consideration. Scholars recently identified the 50 largest, fast-growing suburban counties in United States metropolitan areas, asserting that they are growing in similar ways, have similar problems, and can benefit from sharing solutions. Given this, the paper focuses on two pairs of southern California counties that are ranked high in the list of 50 counties to examine whether the counties are actually developing differently in important ways. Because the differences are likely to be reflected in neighborhood-scale housing projects, the paper evaluates whether there are considerable differences in the design elements of projects across the two pairs of counties. How might the projects contribute to the relative quality of their emerging urban form? The paper identifies opportunities and challenges for creating a better metropolitan form and concludes with recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]