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

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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