Responses to the Suburbanization of Poverty in Short Supply

Low-income residents have scattered to the periphery, where social services are less accessible.

2 minute read

April 10, 2018, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Suburban Sidewalk

Alita Xander / Shutterstock

Aaron Wiener writes in detail about the suburbanization of poverty, focusing on the region around Washington, D.C. as an example of changes underway in cities around the country.

According to Wiener, people growing up in neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. couldn't have imagine how much those places would change—or where those changes would require them to move.

Nobody imagined it, really. Certainly not the original suburbanites, the mostly white pilgrims who fled cities nationwide for peace, safety, space — and sometimes to get away from people who didn’t look like them. Not the federal government, which declared war on poverty in the 1960s but got stuck on an old version of the fight, still targeting low-income clusters in urban centers today rather than the diffusion of people who can no longer afford to live near their work. Not the nonprofit organizations that help low-income populations, which began in the so-called inner city and are largely still there, spending far more money per urban poor person than per suburbanite in need — 10 times as much in the D.C. region.

According to Wiener, low-income residents are leaving downtowns for more suburban locales, where they are "increasingly hidden from public view" and "isolated from the government offices, social services, and networks of friends and relatives on which they once relied." Traditionally wealthy areas, like Montgomery County in Maryland, have seen the fastest increases in poverty while also seeing an influx of non-white residents.

To illustrate the larger societal shift, Wiener follows the story of Delonte Wilkins, a resident of Capital Heights, Maryland, who grew up in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. But the larger story told by the article is about the struggle of non-profits and local jurisdictions to respond to the shifting geography of poverty.

Thursday, April 5, 2018 in The Washington Post

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

View of Austin, Texas skyline with river in foreground during morning golden hour.

The Paradox of American Housing

How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.

March 26, 2024 - The Atlantic

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska downtown with mountains in background at golden hour.

Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan

Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.

6 hours ago - Anchorage Daily News

Young man in wheelchair crossing zebra crosswalk.

How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities

Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.

7 hours ago - Governing

Aerial view of mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado in the winter with snow at dusk.

Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing

Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.

March 28 - CBS News

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.