The Freakonomics blog has a quorum: "What Is the Future of Suburbia?". Simply put, it presents to group of "smart people" the following question: "What will U.S. suburbs look like in 40 years?"

It's an interesting read. Like several of the experts, I believe the future of suburbia will be significantly impacted by rising oil prices. I think more expensive gasoline will be the death knell for continued suburban/exurban sprawl. Instead we will see higher density growth along public transportation infrastructure ("transit oriented development").

It would be prudent to allocate our public resources accordingly.