Each Friday, the Wagner Planner editorial board will publish a news roundup of recent planning news. Topics range the gamut of urban planning concentrations, but will mostly be at the discretion of the editors.
Brendan
All That Could Have Been: Transit Planning in Maryland
“Mass transit in the Baltimore region pales in comparison to many U.S. cities. Transportation planners in the distant past went out of their way to marginalize communities of color.” (Maryland Matters)
What’s Hindering Regional Transportation in the U.S.?
“In Chicago, conflicts between local transit services and the commuter rail network have impinged on peoples’ mobility for decades. The institutional context encourages divides, not cooperation, to the detriment of riders.” (The Transport Politic)
The Dark Side of Eminent Domain (video)
“In cities like Boston, the government’s right to take private property displaced residents and destroyed vulnerable neighborhoods and communities” (City Beautiful)
Mayelly
Neighborhoods and Opportunity in America
“How much does place – that is, the neighborhood in which a family lives – affect one’s earnings, likelihood of being incarcerated, and other key life outcomes?” (Brookings)
The Official Way America Calculates Poverty is Deeply Flawed
“Globalisation and advances in agriculture mean that modern households now spend only one-eighth of their incomes on food. Better data are available. They show that housing and child care—not food—are the biggest constraints on the household budgets of poor people.” (The Economist)
American Poverty is Moving Cities to the Suburbs
“To see the changing geography of American poverty, go instead to Harvey, a small suburban town of 26,000 just 20 miles (32 km) south of Chicago. Despite its proximity to a large city, median household income is an abysmal $24,343…” (The Economist)