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Poverty Heads to the Suburbs

Posted by: Nate Berg

26 February 2010 - 6:00am

The migration of America's low income population is spreading to the suburbs. But the suburbs aren't ready to handle the influx, according to this piece.

"More consequential to a far larger group is the mass out-migration of impoverished people from center cities into the suburbs, often in the same metropolitan areas. According to a recent Brookings Institute Study, the process is accelerating. Between 2000 and 2008, the percent of poor people living in the suburbs increased by 25%, compared to by 5.6% in central cities and 15.4% for the nation as a whole. More of the poor now live in the suburbs than in central cities: 12.5 million versus 11 million.

The out-migration of the lower-middle class has been just as notable."

As a population heavily reliant on public social services and transit, the transition from centralized inner cities to decentralized suburbs will likely result in many needs going unmet.

Full Story: The American poor spread to suburbia, but we’re not ready
Source: Next American City, February 25, 2010
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The decision to abandon a property is a symptom of the loss of confidence. And while abandonment certainly affects confidence among surrounding homeowners, the most important question to answer is not "how do we deal with abandoned properties?" but "what is the most cost-effective way to restore market confidence, and how do abandoned properties fit into that picture?"
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