Linking Urban Sprawl And Poverty

A former New Mexico state senator and mayor of Albuquerque, David Rusk writes and lectures on urban regionalism. His most recent book, Inside Game/Outside Game, looks at how racial segregation and urban sprawl perpetuate cycles of poverty:

"Let's say you're living in Fairfax County, Va., 15 miles from Washington, D.C., and you have an elderly parent in a nearby nursing home. Perhaps a nurse's aide has lovingly taken charge in looking after your parent. Are you going to tell that person, "Well, Ms. Smith, I thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of my aged mother, but I'm not going to give you a chance to live in my neighborhood near this job." Come on! We often talk about how police officers, firefighters, and schoolteachers cannot afford to live in the communities they serve. But others, like hospital orderlies, dry cleaner clerks, and supermarket cashiers, all make a vital contribution to a community's health and well-being. They ought to be able to live there and, more importantly, to send their children to the high-quality schools that those communities tend to support."

Thanks to Joan Pomaranc