Despite efforts to revitalize downtown areas, Capital District suburbs are developing faster than their urban counterparts, according to the Times Union.

Wilton, a former farming town, is one of the fastest growing suburbs in the Capital District.In a major setback to smart growth, suburbs like Wilton, a former farm town about 30 miles from Schenectady, are receiving hundreds more housing permits than downtown Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.

423 permits were issued in Wilton in 2007, while Schenectady handed out only four. Developers in Wilton have recently proposed plans for a 52-lot subdivision, among other projects.

Outward expansion in the region, a decades-long trend, may be the result of an abundance of open land, says Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton.