The new journal, Opolis, features an article on the evolution of suburbs in Philadelphia's inner-ring.
Metropolitan regions have evolved into highly diverse areas in their demographic, socioeconomic, and housing patterns. The issue of declining inner-ring suburbs, however, has only recently begun to receive significant attention from urban scholars and policy makers.
The fundamental concept ofthe inner-ring suburb rests on the notion of the space in between the inner city and outer-ring suburbs. In this article, we explore intra-metropolitan spatial differentiations and economic disparity between four sub-areasthe downtown, inner city, inner-ring suburbs, and outer-ring suburbsvia a case study of thePhiladelphia metropolitan region. Our analysis confirms that inner-ring suburbs are increasingly vulnerable to socioeconomic decline and exhibit symptoms of decline similar to those found in inner cities (white flight, population loss, and increased poverty). Understanding the role and conditions of inner-ring suburbsis essential to creating effective metropolitan smart growth policies.
[Editor's note: The link below is to a 500Kb PDF.]
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Philadelphia’s Space In Between: Inner-Ring Suburb Evolution

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