Home ›

The Planetizen News Brief - 5/14/09

14 May 2009 - 5:00am
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

Demographics are shifting in America. Census estimates put the population of minorities above 50% by mid century, and one out of every three Americans will be Hispanic. These demographic shifts are already playing out in many places, especially the suburbs, where lower housing prices had drawn immigrants for decades. In the Southern California city of Anaheim, the scales have already tipped, according to U.S. Census figures and a recent article from the Los Angeles Times, the Hispanic population in Anaheim is now more than 50%. Demographers say the shift has two prongs: more Hispanics moving in and more whites moving out. But unlike the immigrant cities of the past, Anaheim is also experiencing much of its growth from natural increase, with more than half of the population U.S.-born. Some say Anaheim may be a demographic vision of the future of the American suburb.

Meanwhile, in the exurbs of Texas, demographics are shifting in a bad way – mainly out of town. Small East Texas towns like Overton and Daingerfield are struggling with negative population growth, failing industry and a local economy that can’t provide for the needs of its younger populations. According to a recent article from the Longview News-Journal, locals estimate that 90% of high school graduates leave town each year. Providing opportunities for younger residents has been a challenge for these small cities for decades. Now, with the economy in a recession, things are even worse. Some locals are focusing on infrastructure improvements to lure in new development and business, but some older residents prefer things the way they are. Whether or not these towns should try to change their ways is up in the air, but unless they do they’re likely to keep shrinking until they disappear.

And further west, another city is facing its own set of struggles. Not because it can’t provide enough, but because it provided too much. Las Vegas was booming just a couple of years ago. Now, business is floundering, home values are a fraction of where they were, and half-built mega projects are being abandoned. Current TV takes a look at Las Vegas, which was the fastest growing city in America just a few years ago. The bust has hit people hard. Jobs have dried up, and Las Vegas is now home to one of the highest rates of foreclosure and eviction in the U.S. Pro-growth economics since the 1980s allowed housing to act as a fail-safe investment for people looking to ride the upward market. But in Las Vegas, that fail-safe investment has turned out to be more of a gamble – a gamble that many in the city have lost.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

»
Bookmark and Share
“
"To ignore this space is shortsighted." -- Jennifer Wolch, Director of the USC Center for Sustainable Cities
”