The beginning of the end for McMansions

The Wall Street Journal reports on Generation Y:

They want to walk everywhere. […] A whopping 88% want to be in an urban setting […]

“One-third are willing to pay for the ability to walk,” Ms. Duggal said. “They don’t want to be in a cookie-cutter type of development. …The suburbs will need to evolve to be attractive to Gen Y.”

We’ve seen it happening more and more: the isolationist model created by the expansive suburban lifestyle is just not as appealing to Generation Y.  People seek stronger community, are more interested in sharing resources, and don’t want the hassles of owning and maintaining huge houses.

The problem we’re facing now is, with 88% wanting to be in an urban setting, how do our urban environments accommodate this new (rather demanding) demographic, and what becomes of suburbs and exurbs?