More New Yorkers are buying new homes in the suburbs to get fresher air
Pollution is impacting people’s decision on where to buy a home, according to a new survey.
One in five people said pollution’s impact on their wellbeing was one of the reasons why they moved out of the city this year, according to HSBC’s annual Beyond the Bricks survey.
The number of people who moved out of US cities last year grew by 7%, according to the survey. Environmental factors outweighed people’s desires to start a family (15%) or to be closer to a partner (15%) – influencing their decision to purchase a home in the suburbs.
“Choosing where to live is a very personal choice. We’ve noticed that health has become an important factor for some people when deciding where to buy a home,” said Raman Muralidharan, head of US mortgage for HSBC’s retail banking and wealth management business. “A number of families seem to prefer buying a house in the suburbs rather than renting a small apartment in a city. They want more space, but also cleaner air and a calmer mind.”
The findings of the survey came after the latest World Health Organization air quality data report, which showed that only 20% of the global urban population lives in cities that meet WHO air quality guidelines (PM2.5).
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene estimated that PM2.5 pollution leads to over 3,000 deaths, 2,000 hospital admissions for lung and heart diseases, and nearly 6,000 emergency department visits for asthma in children and adults every year.
“A city like New York is both attractive and problematic to young families,” said Saskia Sassen, a professor of sociology at Columbia University and expert in international human migration. “It offers multiple attractions for entertaining both children and adults, but, as with most US cities, urban life comes with high costs of living, traffic congestion and exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants. Because of this, we are seeing more families leave New York City for the Tri-State suburbs in search of cleaner and better quality air.”
