Land use and transportation planning decisions provide a framework on which other social policies have created particularly isolating and intractable poverty in the South.
The fourth article in a series published last month by The Washington Post focuses on the barriers of access that make the poverty of the American South particularly isolating and difficult to overcome.
The author of the article, Chico Harlan, begins with story of Lauren Scott, a homeless, 28-year-old mother, relying on public transit to find a new job in Atlanta. On the day Harlan followed her, Scott's job search require 69 stops on a bus, a nine-minute train ride, another 49 stops on a bus, and a quarter-mile walk. According to Harlan, "this was a day much like the others, when the cost of destitution was a job hunt in which even the simplest task — placing an application — required four hours, round-trip, on a bus."
Here Harlan sums up the roots of the daily challenge faced by Scott and others like her:
"In the metropolitan areas of the Deep South, government policies and rising real estate prices have pushed the poor out of urban centers and farther from jobs. Low-income people have, in turn, grown more reliant on public transit networks that are among the weakest of quality in the country. When they search for work, they step into a region where pay tends to be low and unemployment tends to be high."
The magazine feature-style article focuses a lot more on Scott's experience of falling into poverty in the service of making large points about the unique qualities and causes of poverty in the contemporary South—a particularly isolating form of poverty exacerbated by the structure and systems of Southern communities.
FULL STORY: A lonely road

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.

Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.

Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland