The Real Promise of Elon’s Hyperloop

The pitch for the hyperloop, the Elon Musk-imagined rail gun that’s supposed to fire cabins full of people from one locale to another at up to 760 mph, usually centers on rapid transit between major cities. Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes. New York to Washington in 29. Dallas to Fort Worth in just six. The developers’ calculations often rest on the assumption that non-city living is on its way out. It’s a continuation of Silicon Valley’s obsession with urban-centric business models (see scooters, delivery startups, and the fetishization of the smart city).

But here’s the thing: The suburbs are hot right now. Since 2012, U.S. cities’ growth rates have fallen by half while those of outer suburban counties have quadrupled, according to census data compiled by the Brookings Institution. As they have children, even millennials are migrating away from urban cores, and not just because they’ve been priced out. In multiple studies, people under 40 have told researchers they prefer lower-density neighborhoods and fenced-in yards.