Although the findings of a vast, decades-long study into the effectiveness of efforts to decrease the segregation of poor families did not turn up the results social scientists had hoped for, those efforts were successful in unexpected ways.
According to Sabrina Tavernise, social scientists had hoped that experiments begun in the 1990s to move poor families into more affluent communities would result in better jobs, higher incomes and more education. In findings reported last week in the journal Science, researchers noted those results did not happen. However, "What researchers did find were substantial improvements in the physical and of the people who moved."
"This vast social experiment," notes Tavernise, "tested a long-held theory that
neighborhood is an important determinant of an individual's success." If success is measured by higher incomes, than the answer seems to be no. But it turns out you can quantify happiness in relation to income level. And according to Jens Ludwig, a
professor of public policy at the University of Chicago and the lead
author of the study, "[t]he improvement [in happiness] was equal to the level of life satisfaction of someone
whose annual income was $13,000 more a year."
FULL STORY: Intangible Dividend of Antipoverty Effort: Happiness
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
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Research Links Urban Design and Human Happiness
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How the Built Environment Affects Your Mood
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
Integrating Human Rights Into Energy and Extractive Sector Transitions
Why just transition efforts must move beyond economic considerations by embedding human rights principles into business practices to ensure equitable, transparent, and accountable outcomes for affected communities and workers.
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Since Trump took office, the administration has blocked multiple affordable housing funding streams. Here's a look at which funds have been frozen, which have been reinstated, and which are in the courts.
Mapping Groundwater Risks from Orphan Wells Across U.S. Aquifers
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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.
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City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
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Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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