Under “shelter-in-place” and “social distancing” guidelines put in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, many Americans are considering moving away from dense cities and into the more spread out suburbs. Unfortunately, the aspiration to escape the public health crisis may be an ill-advised fantasy - with roots in an unconscious, but dangerous, racist fear.
Zillow homebuyer survey takers confirmed that the rise in remote work options has encouraged a renewed interest in suburban properties.
"Moving away from the central core has traditionally offered affordability at the cost of your time and gas money … working remotely could mean more households choose those larger homes farther out," says Zillow senior principal economist, Skylar Olsen.
But if lowered risks of being exposed to the virus is these buyers’ chief concern, it should be noted that while densely populated cities such as New York City have made headlines for their outbreaks, suburbs in New Jersey, Connecticut and even New York’s Staten Island borough, which has no direct connection to NYC’s subway system, have been affected just as alarmingly.
The American dream of picket fences and single-family dwellings is not available to all. Many of those most vulnerable to COVID-19 do do not have the option to work remotely - primarily people from low-income, predominantly-Black neighborhoods, who are overrepresented among “essential” workers forced to continue working during the pandemic.
These workers are also less likely to have paid sick leave, access to preventative healthcare, or the financial means to stockpile and hoard supplies.
Furthermore, the peace and safety some of these home shoppers seek, free from the worry that they’ll share sidewalk streets, subway cars, or city parks with these essential workers, isn’t in reality the utopia some dream it to be.
First, there is a marked lack of pedestrian safety: “[I]f we let COVID-19 fears become an excuse for letting cities sprawl out even further, we will accelerate a traffic death crisis that claims 106 American lives every day,” argues Kea Wilson of Streets Blog USA.
Then, there is the lack of public health and healthcare infrastructure, which exacerbates the spread of illness, limits the availability of quality care, and ultimately raises the death toll - especially among the suburban working poor. On average, suburban homes are 5.6 miles from the nearest hospital.
“[T]hat 5.6 miles might as well be 50 for a poor, sick person who can’t afford a car … much less a pricey ambulance ride,” continues Wilson, adding that stress and loneliness are also bound to catch up with those living on the outskirts of public life, too..
This lack of infrastructure may be the nail in the coffin for the move to greener, farther-away pastures.
The advice to social distance, and statistics tracking outbreaks, makes it appealing to conclude that one can out-earn, out-distance, and thus outsmart the virus. But COVID-19 can affect anyone - anywhere. Absent a national strategy to combat the virus, it may be in Americans’ best interest to shelter in place - even if that place is a major city.