Issues: Changing Cities
-
I. Introduction (15m)
-
II. Reporting (70m)
- Issues: COVID 19
- Issues: Education
- Issues: Family Care
- Issues: Changing Cities
- Issues: Rural Communities
- Issues: Housing
- Issues: The Justice System
- Issues: Racial Inequality
- Issues: Immigrant Communities
- Issues: Disability & Inequality
- How Much Evidence?
- Data Sources on Economic Mobility
- Context and Definitions
BACKGROUND
In many American cities, deindustrialization in the mid-20th century led to lost jobs and disinvestment, effects that continue to be felt by residents of neighborhoods where local economies collapsed. Over the past few decades, new generations have entered big cities and gentrified those same neighborhoods, pricing residents out of their communities. At the same time, populations of people experiencing poverty have grown faster in American suburbs than in cities and rural areas, where they have historically lived. Meanwhile, transportation costs like car and gas prices have grown while funding for public transit has decreased.
WHAT ARE THE RESPONSES?
There are many ways to address making cities more affordable to live in and thus making access to transportation and jobs more accessible.
Housing-focused programs might prioritize redeveloping disinvested neighborhoods with affordable homes and small, local businesses in mind or creating mixed-income developments in pricier areas. Others might focus on job creation and workforce readiness, while still others might champion improving public transit. Cities can learn from each other by comparing different strategies for addressing access to mass transit. And creative short term solutions, like van pool programs, could connect people to jobs right now.
Looking globally, in Europe some fees and taxes associated with driving help incentivize public transportation, making an affordable and environmentally-friendly option more efficient for everyone.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
With so many factors at play in how changing cities have impacted who is experiencing poverty, and where they live, responses can attempt to tackle any number of resultant issues. Reporters should ask, what are the initiative’s specific goals? And why this response to this issue? Urban planning is complex, and zoning and development processes can be idiosyncratic. Understanding how local politics might influence what solutions work where is key to examining replicability. Finally, reporters should also keep race, immigration status and disability in mind when reporting on changing cities, as these are compounding factors for economic mobility.