Smart
Growth and Jobs
How Connecticut’s current
development is hurting every community . . .
and why smarter growth may be the
answer.
created by
The CenterEdge Project
|
This fact
sheet is a brief summary of a
translation paper on smart growth, part of a series produced by the Funders’
Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. The full papers can be found on the Funders’ Network website, www.fundersnetwork.org |
· Current patterns of economic growth separate
entry-level jobs from the workers who need them most.
· Businesses are
moving out of central cities, due to problems of crime, blight and limited
land access as well as tax incentives offered by developing suburban
communities.
· Once businesses have
departed, inadequate public transportation systems make it impossible
for city residents to access many employment opportunities.
· When businesses and
middle-class residents move to suburban areas, cities’ tax bases are eroded,
and their ability to provide needed public services suffers.
· Public schools are
hurt when cities cut budgets and pare back services.
· As a result, urban
residents—often low-income people or people of color—face more obstacles in
accessing higher education and
better-paying employment opportunities.
· The relocation of business
and industry to the suburbs can lead to the elimination of valued open space
and increased pollution.
· In addition, new
businesses strain existing infrastructure, or require expensive new
investments in electricity, sewage and roads.
· Finally, lack of public
transportation forces employees to drive to suburban workplaces, leading to longer
commute times and increased traffic congestion.
· Maintaining a strong core of business and
employment opportunities in central cities benefits both urban and suburban
communities.
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For more information about smart
growth, how it affects your community and what you can do, contact the
CenterEdge project. Office of Urban Affairs, Archdiocese of
Hartford 81 Saltonstall Avenue New Haven , CT
06513-4356 Contact Patricia Wallace, 203-777-7279 or
Pwallace@oua-adh.org This fact sheet prepared by Jessica
Leight, Project Assistant to the CenterEdge Project. |