Smart Growth Policies 'Hurt Poor and Minorities,' Report Alleges

CNSNEWS.COM ^ | 11/25/02 | Marc Morano

[Andy from Beaverton]

Smart Growth Policies 'Hurt Poor and Minorities,' Report Alleges
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
November 25, 2002

Washington CNSNews.com) - A new report says environmentally driven smart growth policies designed to combat urban sprawl are disproportionately hurting minorities and low-income residents and creating economic "segregation." The study also claims the policies are not having the desired traffic or environmental benefits.

"The impact of [smart growth] policies is undermining the progress of African Americans and other minorities," Edmund Peterson, told CNSNews.com at a policy conference in Washington, D.C., Thursday. Peterson is chairman of Project 21, a conservative African American advocacy group.

"By and large [minorities] will not be able to pursue America's best and biggest asset, which is home ownership," he said.

Peterson calls the new report, issued by the National Center for Public Policy Research, "devastating" to the smart growth advocates because it shows how the movement "stops people from moving up the social as well as economic ladder."

The report is entitled, "Smart Growth and Its Effects on Housing Markets: The New Segregation." According to the sponsors of the study, no corporate or housing funds were used to finance the research.

The National Center for Public Policy Research used Portland, Oregon's smart growth policies, considered to be the national model, as a baseline and tried to determine what the impact would be if the entire country adopted Portland's policies.

"Had these policies gone into effect 10 years ago, 260,000 minority families who are currently homeowners in the U.S. would not own their own homes today, and a total of a million families who currently enjoy their own homes wouldn't be doing so today," said Amy Ridenour, president of the National Center.

"It's morally wrong to endorse policies that hurt poor and minorities more than anybody else without at least thinking through the policy and saying to yourself: 'Is it really worth it?'" Ridenour said.

David Almasi, executive director of the National Center, wants to see safeguards in place to protect people with low incomes.

"Smart growth regulations should be checked before they go into effect to make sure they don't inappropriately affect poor minority communities or the general population," Almasi said.

He added that because of the growth restrictions, "people are losing the opportunity to use their property."

"If governments want to save open space, they have the right to buy the land, but they don't have the right to come in and put regulations in place that tell people that own property or want to own property that they can't do something that is legal and legitimate," Almasi said.

'Yielding Incredible Benefits'

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman reiterated last week that the Bush administration "is committed to supporting the smart growth effort in every way that we can."

She spoke at an EPA ceremony where national awards were handed out for smart growth.

Smart Growth is "yielding incredible benefits" in terms of quality of life and environmental impact, according to Whitman.

"Smart Growth isn't about no growth or even slow growth, it is about growing in a way that will allow communities to sustain themselves," she told CNSNews.com.

Whitman sees the smart growth trend expanding because, she said, natural resources are becoming limited.

"That is a reality we all face. Water resources are finite. We know we have to ensure clean air for people and land. Open space for kids and communities is an essential part of quality of life," Whitman said.

She also denied that smart growth policies have a negative impact on minorities and low-income residents.

"Actually, one of the awardees, Breckenridge, Colorado, proves the exact opposite. What it did is focus on affordable housing linked to a transportation system that will give those people access to the jobs in the community," Whitman explained.

"Smart growth can be anything. It can meet whatever the need of that community is. If the needs of the community are affordable housing, there is a way to incorporate that into smart growth," she said.

Ridenour rejected Whitman's analysis of smart growth.

"I doubt the Bush administration has even realized that the poor and minorities are the most disproportionately negatively affected by smart growth," Ridenour said.

Almasi also accused the administration of acting out of ignorance.

"At this point they don't know any better. That's why the National Center has put this report together to point out these policies do have a problem," he said.

Al Gore Connection

Ridenour, noting that former Vice President Al Gore was a big proponent of smart growth, criticized the environmental movement for its restrictions on development.

"The environmental left enjoys telling people how to live their lives and there is nothing more intrinsic to your daily life than where you live, how you get to work and where your workplace is located," she said.

Smart growth is "a tremendous assault on private property rights and the free market," Ridenour said, often placing landowners in the position where their property eventually becomes useless.

"Smart growth advocates will say to people who already own land: 'Well, that is too bad, no investment is 100 percent safe.' Well, I am sorry. If you buy land and you have the proper zoning on it and suddenly someone changes the rules, that is not fair," she said.

The National Center for Public Policy Research also claims that smart growth policies actually increase "suburbanization" and do not reduce congestion or eliminate the need for infrastructure development.

Ridenour complained about what she sees as the arrogance of smart growth planners.

"It's saying we will decide in advance, 10 years, 20 years in advance, where you can live ... Nobody, no movement, is smart enough to decide where people live and how people should live their lives better than the people themselves," she said.

E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.

[Andy from Beaverton]

One thing they leave out is how these policies hurt property owners outside of the urban growth boundries. In my town on one side of the line it could be worth up to $200,000 per acres and on the other side just $20,000 an acre. Hundreds of lifetime farmers have had their property devalued by these policies without any compensation from the government.

[goldstategop]

Who cares about people, huh? As long as one green tree remains standing to be hugged, its not a question of homelessness. And besides those driven out by liberal policies can always blame the eeeevil Republicans for their plight.

[NYpeanut]

In my area of NY, the Smart Growth proponents are also the clinton voters. I have long suspected that they are socialist elitists, since the last things on their list of "smart" plans are low income housing and discount department stores.

They espouse city living, but none of them are selling their cushy suburban houses to move back to the city and let someone else have a shot at their personal utopias.

The latest term, and by far the most frightening I've heard them promote, is "view shed" meaning that they want to control not only how land they do not own is disposed, but how it looks.

[goldstategop]

The "smart growth" folks want to keep their tony enclaves gated from what they view as trailer park trash. That's why they support measures to keep the poor and minorities at a distance. Its just amazing how value conscious liberals can be when it comes to protecting all that expensive real estate of theirs from the rifraff of the world.

[madfly]

Smart Growth ping

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Godel]

One thing I HATE about headlines like this is: If minorities are being hurt, its a damned tragedy. But if it was just white people being hurt, well hell they deserve to suffer because of the color of their skin. Seriously I see so many statistics, like even traffic accidents or AIDS infections crying because minorities are affected. Yes those are bad things but shouldnt it be bad that anyone is hurt not what color skin they have? I mean by this logic, if you just infected more white people with AIDS, then at least it would equal, if more white people stopped putting on seat belts, well that would equalize things and solve the problem. If white people were hurt more by "smart growth" then it wouldn't be a problem. Does anyone realize how sickeningly racist this is? It's like saying that not only is white peoples suffering worthless, but they actually need to be hurt more. I just find it extremely wrong.

[Iowa Granny]

Is this the article you sent me?

[Ben Ficklin]

The Public Purpose provides the hard statistics to shoot down smart growth. There is much info here but notice the comparison of Portland to both Seattle and Atlanta. The sister site, Demographia, is the best compilation of population data on the web.

[TonyWojo]

Breckenridge Colorado, award winner. Such a fine example of a sprawling metropolis. Stupid growrth is serving as the catalyst of socialism.

Unfortunately here in Florida Jeb Bush is a proponent of the GREENIES. and is currently on track for destroying the American Dream of home ownership. Eminent domaine is eminent. The enviro nuts make most land decisions in South Florida.

Sit back and watch coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

"It's saying we will decide in advance, 10 years, 20 years in advance, where you can live ... Nobody, no movement, is smart enough to decide where people live and how people should live their lives better than the people themselves,"
--------------------------

Guys, The "we" in the above statement being all powerful godgov, somebody tell me again that Charlotte Iserbyt's writing that was pulled yesterday was "tin foil" material. She was RIGHT ON about the United States of America moving inexorably toward "communism" through education of the young, laws, regulation and policy from on high. Though actually it is the SOCIALISM called "communism" that was Plato's "Republic" writ large in what was once called the Union of Soviet Socialist "Republics".

But then again, as I wrote in a reply to the Iserbyt writing yesterday, "Maybe Bush and the Republicans don't know. Maybe their "experts" aren't telling them. Maybe?? But NOT likely!! Peace and love, George.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Smart growth is just a smart sounding way to justify letting those with the right political connections artificially increase the value of their property and developments.

[rambo316]

It is like the line that all politicians use and that is:

America is a democracy. I bring this up because at the root, the subjects of America being turned into a Socialist state and whether we are a democracy or a Republic are intertwined.

I'd like to bring to the attention of all readers of this post the fact that Article 4, Section 4, to the United States Constitution states, a direct quote:

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.

[KeyWest]

Garbage still. There are many varieties of so called smart growth. It is a local issue and your community can embrace it or not, since it is a zoning issue. It works to keep green space and is a tool for letting people keep a rural setting in a slowly congestion suburban area. The alternate is tract housing and congestion.

Like any zoning issue, it can be bad or good and it all depends on the community and what they want. In my area, one town uses it and the next town does not. As far as affordable housing, that is local also. It would be unlikely that the poor could afford a tract house any more than a clustered smart growth house. Usually affordable housing means town houses, or many units in one building. Back in the old days they were called apartments.

So it is not a decree from the Central Committee but a plan that can be used or not by local communities. That is Democracy. I wish you people would be a little more precise in what you call Communism.

The leaps of logic that are coming from those who are complaining about their post being pulled are tin foil hat by definition. Lots of Chicken Littles.

[justshutupandtakeit]

This article was singularly uninformative. It needs to point out HOW this policy negatively affects people and give examples like you did in your comment. Maybe even explain a little about what the policy entails.

[Andy from Beaverton]

Here's a great article to pass on to your friends who love the urban growth boundary and METRO. They'll be mentally torn because it's harmful to minorities and poor people.

[justshutupandtakeit]

You miss the point. This kind of headline is designed to split the Liberals. Pitting Enviros against minorities is a definite win for conservatives. Besides the report was from a group concerned about minorities specifically. It is in no way racist but is concerned about the disparate impact of these policies which do affect the poor more and since the largest proportion of poor is minority, minorities most.

These are the kind of reports and articles necessary to help destroy the RAT coalition.

[TonyWojo]

Smart Growth is based on United Nations Agenda 21 for sustainable growth and sustainable development. Also while your at it do a search on the Wildlands project.

One of the first things Governor Jeb Bush did upon comming into office was issue an order for most Counties in Florida to devise a smart growth plan to stop urban sprawl. So if you want to say that is a local issue that is incorrect.

In Collier County which is by the way 87% public land already, they want another 300,000 acres set aside. for a Panther, Wood Stork, a wood pecker. etc. etc.

Personally I think the rural land owner should be placed on the endangered species list.

[justshutupandtakeit]

You are addressing the professionally disgruntled and will not be heard. "Communism", "socialism", "fascism" are all terms they throw indiscrimenantly about will no regard for accuracy or appropriateness. Oh, and can't forget "statist."