A case study of suburban poverty and the programs needed to help residents through tough times.
Jessie Van Berkel reports on the persisting need for free meal programs in the suburbs of the Twin Cities region—despite the improving economy.
To illustrate the scope of the challenge Van Berkel cites the following statistics: "The number of children receiving free and reduced lunch last year had increased 35 percent, on average, in large suburban school districts since the height of the recession during the 2008-2009 school year, Minnesota Department of Education data show. Public schools in St. Paul and Minneapolis saw respective increases of 1 percent and 5 percent postrecession."
That comparison to schools in the region's inner cities ties to a larger point about the suburbanization of poverty, which is emerging as a trend in regions all over the country, including the Twin Cities. One of the challenges inherent to suburban poverty is how it can remind "out of sight and out of mind." Van Berkel quotes Anika Rychner, director of self-sufficiency at 360 Communities, a nonprofit primarily serving Dakota County, to explain how this dynamic plays out in suburban communities: "You could live in the community and never have to look at and acknowledge the need….Poverty doesn't look the same in the suburbs, but it's definitely here."
The article includes special attention to the efforts of Loaves and Fishes—a non-profit that has opened six new suburban dining site in the metro area in the past two years.
FULL STORY: Free meal program expands with the 'suburbanization of poverty'
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
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.