Wendell Cox:
Census data indicates that in 1940, the core accounted for 53 percent of the region’s population. This dropped to 41 percent in 1950, with the largest share of war-time population losses in the ku area. The core gained back to 47 percent of the population in 1960. After that, nearly all growth was in the suburbs. Between 1950 and 2000, 87 percent of the population gain was in the suburbs. In the last decade, the suburbs share of growth dropped to 63 percent.
While the trend suggests the core (the “ku” areas) is making a comeback, you’ll notice that it’s merely growing faster than before, not faster than the suburbs. If the suburbs were a bathtub, their water level would be sitting higher than the core’s tub. And despite the core’s resurgence, the ‘burbs’ tub is still filling faster.