» How will automobile-dependent suburbs handle an influx of the poor?

A new Brookings Institution report by Elizabeth Kneebone and Emily Garr puts in dramatic clarity the rise of suburban poverty in the United States. Not only do a plurality of impoverished Americans now live in the suburbs of major metropolitan areas — 1.5 million more than in their respective central cities — but in many regions, central city poverty fell in the period between 2000 and 2008, even as it rose in the surrounding suburbs.

In the time period studied, 5.2 million more individuals descended into poverty, which in

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» California Governor proposes cutting state support for transit to balance the budget.

The most stormy period of the recession may have passed us by, but states and cities continue to face the devastating consequences of the millions of jobs lost over the past two years. Unlike the national government, which is able to maintain a budgetary deficit, lower-level governments in the U.S. federal system have a legal requirement to produce a balanced budget each year — a difficult task to fulfill when raising taxes is political suicide even as citizens expect a minimum standard of minimum public service.

As falling tax

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Public transportation should play an important role in improving the lives of the less well off

One of the primary roles of mass transit is to assure mobility for all; by offering transportation at a reasonable price, accessible to everyone, buses and trains serve as a redistributive tool and reduce inequalities in our society. But politics and economics make the goal of universal mobility something less than a reality. Though a $2 subway ride may be cheap enough for most, there is no doubt that even the smallest savings in transportation expenses can improve the quality of life of the poorest

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We’re not Christian here at The Transport Politic, but we still respect the values of giving and charity encapsulated in the ideals of Christmas. If anything, this holiday should remind us that the most impoverished among us need our support in times of need. Today, when jobs are being lost by the hundreds of thousands, when millions of people are moving from the middle class back into poverty, we should make sure that our society can hold its own weight.

We typically don’t spend time on this blog defending transit, because we assume that our readers are for the most part

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