Fewer Americans are buying houses than at any point in recent decades, says Salon’s Henry Grabar, but is it changing the tenor of neighborhoods? He cites a research study done by Pew Charitable Trusts in the city of Philadelphia, where there have been more homeowners than any other metro in the country, but rental household growth is rising at double the rate in previous decades. The report finds that, contrary to popular stereotypes about renters, non-owning residents knew their neighbors and participated in neighborhood events.
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