Those attending last week’s International Building Show (IBS) in Orlando have seen the future and it’s not in the suburbs. The Wall Street Journal published a piece this week on one focus of the event hosted by the National Association of Homebuilders: the urban preferences of generation Y. There’s a lot of talk about retiring baby boomers and their impact on the economy these days, but coming down the road is Generation Y, a larger group with its own preferences. And those preferences are decidedly urban. This group has no interest in formal living rooms and they want to walk. As the article points out, an estimated 80 million people comprise the category known as “Gen Y,” while the boomers boast 76 million. One problem: boomers can’t afford downtown living, so they look to walkable suburbs. For information on how manufactured housing has been used in urban areas, see this MHMSM.com Industry In Focus Feature.