The Politics of Suburban Distress

Abstract

Rather than a uniformity of affluence, many suburban areas are characterized by a diversity as great as within the core cities, and their poorest segments often exhibit conditions resembling those of the most distressed neighborhoods of the inner city. But, unlike poverty areas of the urban core, the troubled suburbs are unable under most existing arrangements to draw upon the variegated resources of the larger whole because of the fragmented nature of the metropolis. Nationally, with few exceptions, those suburbs which manifest the greatest distress are minority enclaves, products of the availability of low value housing, of income disparities and the forces of discrimination within the larger society. Because of depressed income levels and inequitable properly resource distribution, low income commmunities must have access to a broader asset base to resolve relevant problems. The article examines the forces contributing to suburban differentiation, the consequences of uneven property resource distribution, and possible alternative approaches designed to make a broader range of resources available to needy suburban communities. The point is stressed that political fragmentation has enabled affluent communities to avoid direct responsibility for the problems perpetuated by income and property resource segregation, and that with the advent of Reaganomics, local areas, with some state involvement, will need to develop cooperative efforts to offset the void left by federal disengagement.