The power of small suburbs in a big city’s shadow

By : J. David Chapman/October 23, 2025

I just returned from the Detroit area, where two small suburbs, Northville and Plymouth, reminded me that the heartbeat of a region often lies just outside the city limits. These towns are the kind of places that make you stop and linger or dwell if you will. The brick-lined streets, bustling cafes, walkable downtowns, and a genuine sense of community make you want to spend an afternoon there. Yet, beyond their charm, they represent something much larger – the strength and vitality of a metropolitan area as a whole.

In economic and demographic terms, regions like Detroit are measured not just by the city itself but by their Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The MSA captures the total population of a metro’s interconnected communities: the suburbs, exurbs, and satellite towns that make up the true urban fabric. It’s a reminder that no city succeeds alone. Detroit’s ability to sustain major-league sports teams, universities, and world-class amenities depends as much on its surrounding suburbs as on the downtown core.

In places like Northville and Plymouth, you see what healthy suburban ecosystems can do for a region. They attract residents who want small-town schools and parks while still contributing to the metro economy. The coffee shops and boutiques might be local, but the people filling them work, play, and spend throughout the greater Detroit area. The MSA concept captures this symbiotic relationship – how the prosperity of one community is tied to the success of the next.

Back home, Oklahoma City’s story is no different. Edmond, Norman, and other surrounding cities are essential to the metro’s strength. Together, they make up the population base that allows Oklahoma City to host the Thunder, attract major employers, and support a vibrant cultural scene. Remove those suburbs, and the metro’s scale, and its competitiveness, shrinks dramatically.

Small cities like Edmond and Northville remind us that success doesn’t require skyscrapers or big-city sprawl. It requires a network of strong, livable communities working together. The future of every great metro will depend not just on its downtown, but on the strength of its small towns nearby – the places where people live their daily lives, raise their families, and define what it means to belong.

J. David Chapman is the chair of finance and professor of real estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).