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The Planetizen News Brief

22 July 2008 - 11:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

“Poverty” is a relative term. An impoverished person in Omaha is probably in a far different situation than an impoverished person in L.A. Recognizing that the specifics of place play a large role in determining such social circumstances, the city of New York has announced some changes to the way it measures poverty rates. According to an article in The New York Times, the city is planning to update its poverty measurements to include such city-specific indicators as the cost of housing, clothing, and health care, which are not currently covered in the federal government’s formula. The city expects the new metrics to bump up the number of people reported to be in poverty from 19 percent to about 23 percent, which could help direct federal funding to the people who need it most. New York City officials hope their new system is considered by other cities, and will redefine the concept of poverty.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, downtown may not be dead after all. Though lively during the day, The Loop -- the square mile of downtown skyscrapers circled by elevated train tracks- becomes a ghost town at night. But things may be changing. The Chicago Tribune reports that The Loop is seeing a resurgence of interest, with more condominiums in development, more people moving downtown and more shops staying open later into the night. By 2010, the downtown population is expected to reach more than 160,000. That’s twice as many people than were there in 1990. Downtown leaders are hopeful that the rise in population will continue, and that Chicago’s Loop can finally become more than a 9-to-5 part of the city.

And finally, in Berkeley, California, business interests and public transit are going head-to-head. Transit planners are looking to install dedicated busways for bus rapid transit along Telegraph Avenue, one of the city’s popular shopping streets. But local shopkeepers on Telegraph are trying to block the project, according to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Opponents have gathered enough signatures to place an initiative on the city’s November ballot that would require voter approval for the creation of any high-occupancy lanes within the city. Many see this as an atypical move for Berkeley, which has long been considered one of the most progressive cities in the country. But the shop owners are worried less about their city’s reputation than the sustainability of their local businesses. And as they business folks gain support, Berkeley’s plans for bus rapid transit may not be coming as rapidly as they hoped.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

A Newer, Better Poverty Rate Formula

'The Loop' is Back

Berkeley's BRT Faces Backlash

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