Now, 77 years later, Taylorsville has almost run out of space to build on previously undeveloped land. The city is looking at redeveloping areas that have already started to become rundown and facing the uncomfortable specter of deciding when and where to approve higher-density developments like condos and apartment complexes.

"It's one of the largest areas of public outcry that we have, when it becomes necessary to increase density," Wall said. "People fight that. It's a problem in suburbs throughout the country because people move to the suburbs to get away from the city and the city catches up with you."

Lang shows pictures of housing developments cropping up in mall parking lots as examples of what happens when cities run out of room for their residents. Planning areas where condos and mixed-use apartment complex developments can go is essential, Lang says, and natural locations for those areas lie around rail systems.

"Not everything has to switch to this (high-density housing), it's just that the share of the region that could switch to this is larger than is currently there, and it's an opportunity," Lang said. "It's underserved, relative to the demand."

More and more, large corporations are building their headquarters in places where people want to live, Lang says, rather than expecting their employees to move just because jobs are available. Cities that don't establish an identity, plan transportation solutions and allow varieties of housing will miss out on larger economic opportunities, Lang says.

"This is a whole different world we're living in," Lang said. "Cities that say, 'Well, we're not going to build a diverse environment. We're not going to create little spaces,' ... risk some of these high-tech firms that want something alternative. It's important that you add that mixture and you say, 'These places can be more than what they were to begin with.' Nothing in this country is static. Nothing in this country has existed for a long time without being reinvented."

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