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.
Although elected officials and service providers "have yet to catch up to this new picture," the suburbanization of poverty "has been no quirk of the recession," says Emily Badger. "It began before the housing market crashed, and will inevitably tax communities unaccustomed to housing the poor well into and beyond the recovery."
A new book by Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, "[paints] a new picture of poverty in America as well as the best ways to combat it."
So, why is the suburbanization of poverty so troubling? Because anti-poverty efforts "designed for dense urban neighborhoods transplant poorly onto suburbia," notes Badger. "We’ve seen that the suburban safety net – it’s much thinner, it’s much patchier, and it’s spread over greater distances," Kneebone says.
In addition, the auto-dependent land use patterns found in America's suburban communities exacerbate poverty. "Many suburbs, for instance, don't have the kinds of public transit networks that can connect impoverished neighborhoods to job opportunities," says Badger.
"All of this means that if the geography of poverty has dramatically changed over the last decade, we'll have to spend the next decade (and likely more) thinking about how to address it in its newest forms," she adds.
FULL STORY: The Suburbanization of Poverty
Looking for the Causes of Suburban Poverty
Why is poverty increasing in the suburbs? It's not as simple as blaming the shifting demographics of the urban core.
New Poverty and Income Data Reveals a Tale of Two Types of Cities
While the country overall made progress, larger cities are making stronger gains against poverty.
On Poverty's New Suburban Look
Author Scott Allard debunks lingering myths about how people experience poverty in cities. Poverty's suburbanization, he argues, has more to do with the loss of jobs than migration from "inner cities."
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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