Unlike their Millennial counterparts, Gen Z consistently says that they prefer to live in suburbs rather than cities. Yet for the loneliest generation, isolated by both social media and vanishing local community, suburbs have little to offer in the way of new relationships. We must address this problem before Generation Z becomes more isolated.
Suburban areas lack the infrastructure to promote meaningful community development. Policies like restrictive zoning keep local businesses away from these neighborhoods, leaving nowhere for residents to naturally make social connections. Policymakers can help address Gen Z's loneliness crisis by eliminating these restrictive zoning codes and bringing back the places that foster community.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Millennials initiated a "back to the city" movement. They moved from suburbs to urban centers in search of housing close to bars, shops, parks, and other social spaces.
A recent Harvard study shows Millennials are now returning to the suburbs, and Gen Z plans to stay there. One reason for the Millennial migration is rising housing costs in cities. New urban development could not keep up with the new demand generated by the "back to the city" movement. However, Gen Z's preference for suburban living might have more to do with social factors, like their high rates of social anxiety.
As the first generation to grow up with social media, Gen Z faces unique challenges. A survey of 1,000 Gen Z-ers found that over half feel they can only be themselves on social media. Gen Z has even been dubbed the " loneliest generation" as nearly three in four say they are lonely.
Yet it's not just the internet causing this epidemic. Gen Z grew up in historically small families, suffered through online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now entering a workforce made up of more hybrid and remote jobs than ever. Church attendance has decreased 16 percent, and consistent neighborhood engagement has decreased 42 percent since the 1970s.
Studies show exposure therapy can be a helpful step forward when dealing with social anxiety. A key way for Gen Z to combat this epidemic, therefore, is to get involved in their local community and socialize.
Suburban planning does not make this easy for Gen Z, however. In-person socializing typically occurs at "third places"—communal locations outside of work, school or home that act as neutral meeting spaces for friends to gather, like a local park, coffee shop or bar. While such locations are easy to find in urban settings, they are harder to find in the suburbs where restrictive suburban zoning keeps coffee shops from being built within walking distance of subdivisions. Public parks are replaced with individual yards, and driving ensures you won't spontaneously run into anyone you know on the way to the grocery store.
It makes sense that a socially anxious generation would prefer privacy over the hustle and bustle of city life, but Gen Z shouldn't simply accept the challenges that come along with suburban life, either. Given my generation's need for social interaction, we should make a difference in our own suburban communities by supporting new businesses and combating restrictive zoning policies.
We need to bring back third places everywhere, but especially in suburbia. Instead of keeping residential and commercial spaces in different parts of the city, allow local corner stores and coffee shops to become staples in local communities. Similarly, residential zoning reform in urban areas would increase the housing supply, decrease housing costs, and attract some more of the younger generations to social communities.
My generation didn't choose to be born into a techno-centric, community-deprived, polarized society, but we can choose how we interact with it. While we don't have to live in the cities chosen by previous generations, we also don't have to accept loneliness as the only alternative. Gen Z can make a difference in suburban areas by building community spaces where we can gather and connect. Wherever we choose to settle, we should make an effort to leave those places better for the next generation. Policymakers can help, but ultimately it's up to us.
Jacob Fox is a Gen Z economics student at Hillsdale College and a Young Voices contributor. Follow him on X @jacobafox
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
