Baltimore's 'inner suburbs' showing their age(more government money required!!)

Baltimore Sun ^ | May 12, 2005 | Timothy B. Wheeler

[marylandrepub1]

A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County finds that these "inner suburbs," which boomed after World War II, are now struggling with stagnation and decline, increasing poverty and deteriorating infrastructure as jobs and younger, more-affluent families have tended to migrate to the outer suburbs over the past 25 years.

The study, by UMBC's Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education, calls for greater public and private reinvestment in these aging communities to stem the loss of open land and increasing traffic congestion as the region's suburbs keep spreading outward.

Analyzing census data from 1980 through 2000, Hanlon and co-author Thomas J. Vicino found that residents of Baltimore's inner suburbs tend to be older and poorer, to live in smaller, less-valuable homes, and to have lower-achieving schoolchildren than counterparts in the outlying suburbs of Carroll, Harford, Howard, and even the rest of Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.

The study notes that the period saw a racial transformation in western Baltimore County. Woodlawn, where 85 percent of the residents were white in 1980, became 51 percent black by 2000, while nearby Lochearn went from roughly 50 percent to 78 percent black. Historically, both communities had more black residents than other inner suburbs, the researchers point out. The rest of the inner suburbs remain predominantly white - a pattern of segregation that they warned could affect the communities' stability.

Noting that Baltimore's inner suburbs are the kinds of existing communities where new development ought to be encouraged under Maryland's Smart Growth policies, the UMBC researchers called for government intervention to revive them. Local, state and federal agencies must offer incentives to attract and retain businesses and homeowners, and shore up the aging housing stock and struggling schools, they said.

[marylandrepub1]

While east coast property values skyrocket, these neighborhoods property values are dropping. A few miles away in the next county the house prices are doubling every few years. Note that this 'Woodlawn area' is centered at the huge 'Social Security' headquarters inside the Baltimore beltway (not mentioned by this Sun writer) providing lots of fed jobs. My friend bought a house in this area in the early 90s and made the mistake of staying. Currently houses in nearby areas cost $500,000 while these go for $100,000. He is stuck now. Last time I visited (2004) there were ads posted on the telephone poles by bankruptcy lawyers offering to free the locals of any debts accrued.

"public reinvestment " ???

Now what type of government program is going to convince people to move into areas where you can't walk at night because of crime, parents are invisible to the school, businesses are fleeing and the property values are dropping while most others skyrocket? What about all the SS money being poured into the area by the SS headquarters?

[blau993]

The main problem faced by these "inner suburbs" is Baltimore itself. The city has lost its meaning. It has no industry anymore. Service organizations have fled the crime and the filth for suburban campuses. It is simply an old, useless, blighted city that seems to exist only to feather the nests of RAT politicians and to give the equally useless Baltimore Sun something to gnash its teeth over.

[Nonstatist]

It's because the schools in Woodlawn, Dundalk, et al. suck and the neighborhoods are crime ridden. Since you can't get a 3 bedroom in Montgomery County for under 600K, you know there would be many people from DC that would love to have affordable housing for half that price in Landsdowne or Dundalk, which is less than an hour from most of the District.

But the people that live there now do not make "good neighbors", to say the least. In fact, gentrification in places like Middle River and Dundalk might work over time, but of course that would require moving the current residents OUT. And if you dont do that, youre just throwing money down the drain.

[marylandrepub1]

Very good. But the Baltimore Sun has to act like it does not understand the obvious because to state the obvious would be politically incorrect. The politically correct thing is to imply that a magical curse (like aids) came over the area of no fault of the current residents(who are victims). The curse is the result of :

"jobs and younger, more-affluent families have tended to migrate to the outer suburbs "

[Nonstatist]

younger, more-affluent families have tended to migrate to the outer suburbs

The radical , Mother Jones-liberal solution would be to force "younger, more affluent families" to stay right where they are and help "assimilate" the disfunctionals, often by their mere presence.

Of course , this would require a substantial level of coercion involving numerous laws, police activities, restraint of trade, etc. Hey, but its all for a good cause! And its the thought that counts, not wether it works "perfectly" , or not.

The second choice, if you can not compel through the butt of a gun, is to just throw money at the problem, regardless of whether the money is well spent, or not. Again... Its the thought that counts!!!

[marylandrepub1]

I did a post on Columbia MD in nearby Howard County


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1383991/posts

[dennisw]

dittos