Commentary: Place-Based Policy Must Target Chronically Poor Areas

As more evidence shows that neighborhood-level factors heavily impact future outcomes, place-based policies should use more accurate measurements to ensure persistently poor places don’t fall through the cracks.

1 minute read

July 18, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Vacant run-down houses in Gary, Indiana

Matt Gush / Adobe Stock

A commentary in Route Fifty by August Benzow and Kenan Fikri describes how new research explains “how an economically distressed place can transmit poverty from one generation to the next.”

For the authors; it is important to point out that “Pioneering researchers like Harvard’s Raj Chetty have shown that children who grow up in high-poverty environments are less likely to climb the income ladder as adults,” contrary to the popular American narrative of bootstrap success.

For Benzow and Fikri, “the way we measure and target persistent poverty leaves millions of vulnerable Americans invisible to programs intended to support them.” This includes how places are designated as ‘chronically poor,’ which is currently done at the county level. “Looking no deeper severely underestimates the size of the problem and therefore the scope of the challenge. Roughly 20.5 million Americans live in a persistent-poverty county, but 35 million reside in a persistent-poverty census tract.”

The article concludes that “high poverty rates will persist across thousands of American communities because the fabric that weaves them into the national economy has grown threadbare.” The authors call for “a growth agenda for persistent-poverty communities—the very places where the nation’s social and economic challenges are greatest.”

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in Route Fifty

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight