What do women really want in their neighborhoods?

Article in San Francisco Chronicle
By Richard Paoli, November 16, 2003

The survey, What Women Really Want in Neighborhoods, Homes and Community Life, conducted by EDAW, seemed focused on women with the greatest buying power/influence, typically boomers. Still, their priorities are much more CoolTown-oriented than their male counterparts.

Their two key qualities they’re looking for in buying a home are: Social interaction and convenience.

Topping the list of amenities are:
– Access (ie convenience) to grocery stores
– Good parks
– Choice of public transportation (ie choice of taking the bus, light rail, subway)
– Quality of landscape design

Next on the list are:
– Safe environment
– Access (convenience) to services and employment
– Potential for working in their homes
– Access (convenience) to family-oriented recreational activities

What they don’t want:
– Dearth of transportation choices
– Cookie-cutter new homes
– Lack of shared open space

Sounds like women don’t want suburbia perhaps, but small towns and walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods. Maybe the solution is to promote the movement of having more women developers.

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