August 30, 2009

In The Suburbs

by the Mysterious Flying MisoR™

From the Reason Foundation, October 2001:
Older Suburbs: Crabgrass Slums or New Urban Frontier?
“Since the 1950s, suburbia has represented middle-class success and the fulfillment of the ‘American Dream.’ More than three-quarters of America’s new population growth has occurred in the suburbs. Indeed, more than half of all Americans now live in suburbs, a higher proportion than any other industrialized nation. More than 80 percent of all demand for office space and new jobs occurs in the suburbs. Between 1988 and 1998, office space in suburbia grew 120 percent, eight times the rate in traditional center cities.

“These communities are far more diverse than commonly perceived and, while some are clearly in decline, many are thriving, both demographically and economically. Indeed, in many ways, the rebirth of the suburban community—like the earlier rebirth of the urban core itself—testifies to the changing nature of the new economy and the remarkable ability of people to find new uses for older things.

“An analysis of the San Fernando Valley, a middle-class suburb north of the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles County, provides a case in point. Developed as a bedroom community beginning in the early 20th century, the Valley is the archetype of midopolis. After a period of decline, vacancy rates for prime office buildings have fallen from 18 percent to 12 percent, and net occupied office rental space has increased by 400,000 square feet. By the end of the 1990s, job creation in the Valley outstripped the rate for Los Angeles County as the Valley employed more than half of the region’s media and entertainment industry. More than 5,000 small, specialized creative firms service the region’s ‘cultural-industrial complex.’ As a result, the residential market remains strong as apartment vacancy rates have fallen from the double digits in 1996 to under 5 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, home prices have remained relatively modest by Southern California standards, ranging from $200,000 to $300,000.”

From the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
“Gang migration from larger cities to suburban and rural areas is an ongoing concern for law enforcement. According to analysis of NDTS 2008 data, the percentage of law enforcement agencies in the United States reporting gang activity in their jurisdictions increased from 45 percent in 2004 to 58 percent in 2008. Moreover, the percentage of jurisdictions reporting gang activity during this time frame increased in each of the seven NGIC/GangTECC regions; however, the most significant increases were in the East and Southeast Regions, most likely the result of the migration of gang members from urban areas such as New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California, to smaller jurisdictions in these regions.

“Gang migration from urban areas has led to the recruitment of new, younger gang members in many suburban and rural communities. According to the most recent biennial School Crime Supplement to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey, the percentage of suburban students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months increased 17 percent from 2003 to 2005 after remaining stable from 2001 to 2003, and the percentage of rural students reporting likewise increased 33 percent from 2003 to 2005 after decreasing (8%) from 2001 to 2003. In comparison, percentages of both total students and urban students reporting gangs present at school increased steadily from 2001 to 2005 (20% and 24%, respectively).

“U.S.-based gang members are increasingly involved in cross-border criminal activities, particularly in areas of Texas and California along the U.S.–Mexico border. Much of this activity involves the trafficking of drugs and illegal aliens from Mexico into the United States and considerably adds to gang revenues. Further, gangs are increasingly smuggling weapons from the United States into Mexico as payment for drugs or to sell for a significant profit.

“Most regions in the United States will experience increased gang membership, continued migration of gangs to suburban and rural areas, and increased gang-related criminal activity. These increases are largely the result of the continued expansion of gang-operated criminal networks. Better-organized urban gangs will continue to expand their criminal networks into new market areas in suburban and rural locations, where they can absorb unaffiliated local gangs or use violence to intimidate them.”

From the Orlando Sentinel:
“… now that the former bus driver and his roommate have lost their jobs, had their water shut off and found themselves facing foreclosure, suburbia has become a dead-end street.

“The two men represent the extreme of what experts describe as a new ‘outer edge’ of poverty in remote suburbs hit hard by foreclosures. Fueled by ‘subprime’ mortgages that made new homes suddenly affordable for those who otherwise might not have qualified, outlying communities mushroomed during the middle of this decade.

“Wentworth’s roommate recently enraged neighbors by walking the streets with a hand-lettered sign that pleaded for gas money to make the 20-mile round trip for a loaf of bread and boxes of macaroni and cheese. The same remoteness that drew them to the community that straddles Polk and Osceola counties has left them stranded in a sparsely furnished house. The nearest bus stop is a two-hour walk. Existing without running water for more than a week, they have no church or emergency housing within seven miles. Every day they face the prospect of losing power and cell-phone service, which would further isolate them. ‘I would like to stay here. But in the dark, with no light, no water, no phone?’ said Wentworth, 42. ‘… I’ve got no place to go.’

“Some of the new suburbanites are losing their jobs as unemployment nears 9 percent, and they’re losing their homes as adjustable-rate mortgages double their monthly payments. Most of the 7,700 foreclosure filings reported for Metro Orlando in February by RealtyTrac Inc. were in outlying areas that don’t have the social-service safety nets that have long served needy residents in towns and cities.

“Metro Orlando’s outer edge is a ring of foreclosures in neighborhoods built in recent years, often on old orange groves. Wentworth liked the countryside setting and the prospect of getting a new house with a front porch and three bedrooms for $230,000. … Three years after the purchase, only a couple of potted plants sit on the porch. Darkened windows and weedy yards pockmark Poinciana and other almost-new neighborhoods in Volusia, Lake and Osceola counties. Houses near Wentworth’s are going for half what he paid three years ago.

“His house on Superior Court is scheduled to be sold at auction April 2. The one next door sits vacant after neighbors abandoned it, ripped the air-conditioning unit off its pad and hauled it away.

“Wentworth and his roommate made choices that contributed to their predicament. They pinned their existence on a subprime loan with payments that escalated from $765 to more than $1,400 over three years. Health problems and long commutes interfered with jobs. And the English-only speakers could not qualify for a number of jobs that sought bilingual workers.

“Wearing a gray, stained T-shirt with the slogan “Turistas Go Home,” Wentworth said that what gets him out of bed in the mornings is the hope of landing a job. He has filled out applications at school districts and tourist attractions, giving prospective employers his roommate’s cell-phone number even though it could be cut off for lack of payment at any time. Short of getting a job, he said, he’d be happy if he could get to the nearest RaceTrac service station because he has a coupon for a free cup of coffee. The only problem, he said, is he doesn’t have $2 for gas to make the 36-mile round trip.”

And, in other news: How to Raise Chickens in the Suburbs for Eggs




Bits Bucket For August 30, 2009

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