Despite urban renaissance success stories of the past decade—New York City, San Francisco, booming "sunbelt" cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas—poverty and inequality remain entrenched in America's metropolitan regions.  National and global shifts in labor, production, and technology have created a new economy that richly benefits some, but leaves many locked in a cycle of unsustainable, low-wage employment.  Moving up the economic ladder in America is increasingly difficult, especially for people of color. African American children born to poor families are nearly twice as likely as poor white children to remain poor as adults.¹ These inequities are linked to place: too many neighborhoods lack the living wage jobs, decent homes, good schools, and other essentials for health, productivity, and upward mobility.

These regional, national, and global influences have devastated many older cities in the Northeast and Midwest. Once industrial giants, these places are struggling to reposition themselves in the face of a changing economy, and the movement of people and resources out of urban centers to other parts of the region, other parts of the country, or overseas. Many of those left behind live in abandoned and disinvested neighborhoods and lack meaningful access to the means to improve their situations.

Transforming older core cities is not only about physically revitalizing these communities and improving opportunities for residents—it is at the heart of securing a strong and sustainable economic future for our entire nation. In the beginning of 2006, PolicyLink launched the Core Cities Initiative, a multi-year, multi-region effort focused on bringing greater attention, resources, and equitable policy change to America's struggling cities.

Local knowledge is the cornerstone of the Core Cities Initiative. PolicyLink works to tap the wisdom, voice, and perspective of local leaders to identify creative mechanisms for fostering economic growth and social inclusion. We are working with local leaders and coalitions to ensure that reinvestment and revitalization happens in their regions and that everyone shares in the benefits.

PolicyLink and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC) are currently working on a range of approaches to enable lower-income families to enter the economic mainstream. In greater Philadelphia, 81 percent of the region's jobs are located outside of a 5-mile radius of the city's central business district,² and 96 percent of predicted regional job creation between 2000 and 2030 will occur outside of the city of Philadelphia.³ At the same time, Philadelphia is home to 30 percent of the region's total population—but 58 percent of the region's non-white population and 61 percent of the region's poor.⁴

To address this serious "spatial mismatch" between the location of jobs and where lower-income workers live, GPUAC and PolicyLink have identified innovative housing and transportation policy solutions that help working families access employment and move up the economic ladder. In signs of early success, a legislative proposal to create a statewide employer-assisted housing tax credit program in Pennsylvania is moving forward and is currently slated for consideration in the state legislature. If passed, the Housing Pennsylvania's Working Families Act will offer up to $2 million dollars in tax credits to employers worth 70 cents on every dollar spent toward housing benefits for workers.

In Cleveland, PolicyLink, through the African American Forum on Race and Regionalism (AAFRR), is working with  the President's Council to ensure that African American leaders are at the forefront of regional solutions to promote growth and equity. The President's Council includes local African American business owners, mayors and other elected officials, faith-based and civil rights leaders, and academics. AAFRR is co-chaired by Angela Glover Blackwell of PolicyLink; john powell of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and Robert Bullard, of the Clark-Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource Center.

Stay tuned for new PolicyLink research that will contribute to the growing movement to promote shared economic prosperity in our nation:

• Strengthening Smaller Cities. In early 2007, we will issue a framing paper that examines the unique opportunities and challenges facing small and mid-size cities in the Northeast and Midwest. The report will consider how to tailor equitable development tools and strategies to the particular social and market context of communities like Youngstown, Flint, Gary, and Syracuse.
• Stories of Renewal. We will also launch an online series that chronicles inspiring stories of community renewal in older core cities based on the wisdom, voice, and experience of local leaders. 

To learn more about PolicyLink Core Cities Initiatives visit http://www.policylink.org/projects/CoreCitiesInitiative/

We invite you to share your insights about how we can work together for the energetic restoration of our nation's oldest communities. Please contact us at corecities@policylink.org.

¹ Tom Hertz, "Understanding Mobility in America," Center for American Progress, April 2006, retrieved from http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/hertz_mobility_analysis.pdf.

²Edward Glaesar et. al., Job Sprawl: Employment Location in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, The Brookings Institution, 2002, retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/glaeserjobsprawl.pdf.

³Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission,"Regional Data Bulletin: Population and Employment Forecasts, 2000-2030, March 2005, retrieved from http://www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db73_update.htm.

⁴US Census Bureau, SF3, 2000.

The Gulf Coast region and the entire nation marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with solemn reflection on losses of lives and homes, and reports from academics, nonprofit organizations, and media on the past months' recovery progress.  Yet those who bore the brunt of the storm know that what may be referred to in shorthand as "Katrina" in fact goes far beyond one day, one week, or one storm.  The devastation in New Orleans in particular was the result not just of Hurricane Katrina, but of breached levees and layers of policy failure:  substandard infrastructure, inadequate public transportation to move residents out of harm's way, and a history of policies that had for generations left residents with the fewest resources isolated and vulnerable.

A lively and diverse group of over 40 academics, policymakers, business leaders, funders, and advocates gathered in New York City on October 12 for "Policy Matters:  Natural and Unnatural Disasters," a discussion with PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell; Jed Horne, Times Picayune editor and author of Breach of Faith:  Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City (Random House, 2006); and David Troutt, professor at Rutgers University School of Law and editor of After the Storm:  Black Intellectuals Explore the Meaning of Hurricane Katrina (The New Press, 2006).  Held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center, the event featured welcome remarks from Esther Cohen of Bread and Roses, the arts and cultural arm of 1199SEIU/United Healthcare Workers East and an introduction by Reese Fayde, CEO of Living Cities.  Horne offered a first-hand perspective on Hurricane Katrina's wrath and a wealth of personal and political stories from his moving account of the disaster's aftermath.  Drawing on his distinguished career as a lawyer, writer, thinker, and civil rights advocate, Troutt provided critical analysis on the race, class, and equity implications of the storm and levee breaches.  Blackwell moderated the discussion and highlighted the policy context of Katrina and the need for a fair, inclusive rebuilding plan that creates communities of opportunity for low-income residents and people of color.  For the past year, PolicyLink has been working at the state, parish, and community levels to advance affordable housing and equitable infrastructure policies, build the advocacy capacity of local nonprofit organizations, and lobby for keeping the needs of those most affected by Katrina central to the recovery decision-making process.

After the authors' remarks, and during a light reception before and after the panel, guests engaged in thoughtful, substantive discussion of what went wrong in Katrina's aftermath, where the rebuilding stands now, and how policies at the local, state, and national levels can help eradicate concentrated poverty, break down barriers to opportunity, and ensure the safety, health, and well-being of all communities.

For more information on PolicyLink work in Louisiana visit http://www.policylink.org/Communities/Louisiana/default.html. 

To listen to audio from the October 12 event, visit http://www.policylink.org/PastEvents/

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "property rights" initiatives will be on more ballots this November than any other single issue, fueled by a backlash against the 2005 United States Supreme Court Kelo v. New London decision allowing the city of New London, Connecticut to seize property under eminent domain for economic development purposes.  Voters in twelve states are currently considering property rights initiatives (in Louisiana, voters passed an eminent domain measure on the primary ballot in September).  Several of the ballot measures are limited to reforming eminent domain, in most cases clarifying that eminent domain could not be used to seize property for private development, as in New London.  Arizona, California, Idaho, and the state of Washington are voting on more drastic and sweeping "regulatory takings" measures that would require state and local government to either allow landowners to develop property exactly as they want—regardless of a project's size, purpose, or local zoning and planning standards—or compensate owners for alleged lost value. 

California's takings measure, Proposition 90, would result in a "taxpayer trap" of billions of dollars in potential payouts from state and local governments for dubious claims of lost value.  Proposition 90 would also halt a wide range of necessary construction projects and urban planning—and would be a major setback for equitable development.  PolicyLink is urging Californians to vote no on Proposition 90, and encourages others to learn more about these issues by visiting opposition campaign websites from Arizona, California, Idaho, and Washington.

At the heart of the controversy over zoning, planning, and property rights are questions of what communities should look like, how neighborhoods and regions should be developed, who benefits, and who decides.  PolicyLink believes that everyone—including people in low-income communities and communities of color that shoulder the burden of inequitable planning and policymaking—must be fully and meaningfully included in the planning and development process.  While it is important to recognize that some low-income neighborhoods have historically been targeted for eminent domain seizures, the judicious and fair use of eminent domain, zoning, planning, and similar tools helps build healthy, vibrant communities by creating affordable housing; preserving parks and open space; and constructing schools, roads, and public transportation projects.

The full potential of equitable planning and policymaking is realized through sound and equitable investment in infrastructure—the school buildings, roads, transit lines, parks, water systems, and even telecommunications networks that keep communities and regions running smoothly.  For this reason, PolicyLink is endorsing Propositions 1C, 1D, and 84 on the California ballot; a yes vote on these measures will generate critically-needed funds for emergency homeless and domestic violence shelters, affordable housing, parks and water, and school construction.  PolicyLink is encouraged by the growing national attention to infrastructure issues (illustrated starkly by the levee breaches that devastated New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina), and is building on this momentum with seven principles for infrastructure equity and additional new research to be released this winter.

For additional resources on eminent domain and regulatory takings measures, visit Smart Growth America, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Planning Association.

To learn more about PolicyLink work to promote equitable infrastructure investment, visit http://www.policylink.org/EquitablePublicInvestment/default.html.

Low-income communities of color are often bombarded by tobacco advertising.  Residents lack local grocery stores and are forced to shop at corner stores with tobacco and alcohol prominently displayed and no fruits and vegetables in sight.  These communities may also lack appealing and well-maintained parks and recreation centers, and may face dilapidated schools with inadequate ventilation, and diesel pollution from local bus depots or ports.  Proposition 86 on the California ballot provides an opportunity for people and place approaches to improve community health.  Supporters of the proposition include organizations focused on anti-tobacco education and advocacy, health care access, asthma and clean air, access to healthy food, access to sports and recreation opportunities, and other issues linked to cancer, heart disease, asthma, and diabetes.

Proposition 86 will raise the excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products to fund new and expanded health programs and services.  Programs designed to improve community environments in low-income communities of color can reduce asthma triggers, reduce tobacco advertising, and improve opportunities for good diets and exercise—which will reduce the risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Low-income communities already suffer disproportionately from smoking-related disease, death, and social and economic costs. Proposition 86 will save lives, reduce smoking, and improve community environments. To become an official supporter or to get more information, see http://www.yesonprop86.org/. 

On October 11 and 12, several hundred affordable housing advocates, policymakers, researchers, public officials, funders, and business leaders gathered in Chicago for Fulfilling the Dream: Shaping Housing Policy for Future Generations, the 75th anniversary policy summit of the National Housing Conference.  The National Housing Conference is the nation's oldest affordable housing and community development advocacy organization.  PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell gave the opening address at the summit, highlighting the connections between affordable housing, community health, and infrastructure investment.  Blackwell also spoke about PolicyLink work in Louisiana, and the emerging coalitions advocating for fair, inclusive affordable housing policy as the cornerstone of Gulf Coast recovery planning.

The summit also featured presentations by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson; former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros; Richard Baron, CEO of McCormack Baron Salazar; Mark Willis, executive vice president, JP Morgan Chase; John G. Markowski, Chicago Department of Housing Commissioner; and Shaun Donovan, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.  Conference workshops and presentations focused on state and local solutions for affordable housing, as well as the relationship of housing to other national policy concerns. 

The Center for Housing Policy, the research affiliate of the National Housing Conference, also released its latest publication on the linkage between housing and transportation. A Heavy Load: Work, Transportation, and Affordable Housing examines the statistics from 28 major metropolitan areas nationwide, exposing the combined burden of transportation and housing costs working families face across the nation.

In "Healthy Foods, Strong Communities," an article in the fall 2006 issue of Shelterforce: The Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Building, PolicyLink senior associate Rebecca Flournoy discusses the problem of healthy food access—particularly in low-income communities and communities of color—and offers promising models of community-driven solutions and supportive policies that not only bring healthy food options to a community but also contribute to the area's economic development and revitalization.

Flournoy points to the flight of white middle-class families from urban centers during the 1960s and 1970s, and the subsequent reduction of services, local jobs, and tax revenues as contributing factors for poor economic growth in communities of color.  Families who remained in these neighborhoods were left with limited options to purchase healthy foods, and often had to resort to purchasing unhealthy foods from nearby fast food restaurants or local corner stores.  "Though more convenient, these stores generally offer fewer healthy foods, are poorly maintained and charge higher prices, sometimes as much as 49 percent higher than those of supermarkets," she writes.  The article also mentions studies that have documented the disparity in the number of supermarkets in poor communities compared to wealthier, whiter communities.

Flournoy also offers promising examples of policymakers, business leaders, community organizations, and foundations joining together to identify ways to create innovative community-driven solutions to the food access problem. Vacant land and abandoned properties are being adapted for grocery store developments in poor communities and spurring economic development; small stores are stocking healthier options, promoting local small business development, and turning "problem" locations into community assets; and farmers' markets are sustaining small farms while providing fresh, local food, opportunities for small business development, and space for social interaction. 

The article is based on Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities Through Food Retailing, a report authored by Flournoy and PolicyLink program associate Sarah Treuhaft. To read about additional PolicyLink health projects, go to http://www.policylink.org/Health/projects.html.