A new study out from the Brookings Institution suggests that amidst the building boom that has been sweeping the nation in the past few years, large cities may actually be faring better - proportionately - than the suburban rings that surround them.

Those combined city-suburb metropolitan areas, however, are vastly outstripping growth in rural areas and small cities around the country.

The think-tank based in Washington, in conjunction with the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies, has released a survey showing that building permits issued in cities have been going up steadily between 1991 and 1998.

Far more homes are still being built in the suburbs, it acknowledges, but it urges urban planners, investors and policy makers not to overlook what appears to be a trend toward urban redevelopment.

The study looked at building permits issued from 1986 (the boom era in new construction); through 1991 (when the housing market disintegrated); and on up through the rebuilding period to 1998.

It found that large cities' share of all metropolitan building permits rose from 14.6 percent in 1991 to 17.8 percent in 1998.

The report compared permits issued in 39 large cities with their surburban neighbors. There was considerable inconsistency from city to city - with large Sunbelt cities generally, but not always, doing better than older industrial cities.

The survey identified "hot" housing construction markets as: Seattle; Orlando; Boston; Miami; Columbus, OH; Portland, OR; Tampa; New York; San Francisco; San Antonio; Phoenix; Houston; and Dallas.

Cold markets are Baltimore; Providence; St. Louis; Sacramento; Detroit; Philadelphia; New Orleans; Chicago; Kansas City and Los Angeles.

"The question of where in metropolitan areas new home construction occurs is of particular interest to policy makers and others," said the report by author Alexander von Hoffman. "On the one hand, many government officials have been trying to trigger economic activity and population growth in America's cities for decades.

"On the other hand, fears that uncontrolled suburban growth will degrade the environment and engulf the neighboring countryside have made 'suburban sprawl' a national issue."

The survey notes that the National Association of Home Builders recently pledged to build 100,000 new homes in inner cities to help take pressure off the suburbs, but suggested that selling 100,000 new homes may be "ambitious" without some kind of government help.

"In order to limit suburban sprawl, it seems likely that government officials will have to impose measures that will limit development on the periphery of metropolitan areas and encourage more intense development in the inner cities and those parts of the suburban ring that already are developed," the survey concludes.

"To revitalize economically depressed cities, officials will have to make dramatic improvements in infrastructure and services, such as schools, and find ways to increase the number of jobs accessible to residents of the urban core."