As the debate over the size and scope of federal and state governments heats up entering the 2012 election season, The New York Times presents a comprehensive look at how such services are currently dispersed across the country.
In an interactive graphic and in an accompanying multimedia article, the Times examines historical and geographic trends for those benefiting from the safety net. Overall, "The share of Americans' income that comes from government benefit programs, like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, more than doubled over the last four decades, rising from 8 percent in 1969 to 18 percent in 2009."
A fascinating interactive graphic presents historical data for several decades in the amounts of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Income Support, Veterans, and Unemployment benefits at a county-by-county level.
Authors Binyamin Appelbaum and Robert Gebeloff reach the surprising conclusion that, "The government safety net was created to keep Americans from abject poverty, but the poorest households no longer receive a majority of government benefits. A secondary mission has gradually become primary: maintaining the middle class from childhood through retirement."
Read the full story: The Geography of Government Benefits
Transit Agencies Ramp up Free and Reduced Fare Programs for SNAP Recipients
Some transit systems are offering free rides for low-income riders until benefits are restored.
Poverty's Sprawling Tentacles
From 2000-2011 the number of poor Americans living in the suburbs increased at a rate double that of the country's cities. The result is that more poor people now live in the suburbs than in cities. A new book examines this troubling trend.
Can Suburbia Serve the Poor?
An editorial in The New York Times looks at the dramatic growth of poverty in America's suburbs over the last decade, and asks if the government safety net is up to the challenge.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Less housing, wasted money: study reveals impact of city parking mandates
The study found that 71% of carless households in the United States pay for a parking space they don’t use.
Minnesota seeks to replace fraud-ridden Housing Stabilization Services with new program
Federal prosecutors have charged over a dozen people in fraud cases involving at least $26 million.
A multi-billion dollar problem is brewing under Oakland’s streets
Oakland’s stormwater drainage systems are in desperate need of upgrades and repairs. The El Niño will only further strain the city’s infrastructure.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority