This article in the NYT today I belive gets at a dynamic that we have to take seriously in the planning of North Camden. Clearly (and this has been going on for some time) jobs are not available and the jobs that are here are requiring folks to commute further than ever. The impact on family life is huge. So, how does this dynamic affect the people who are in North Camden? How do these dynamics affect plans for who will live on the waterfront? It seems pretty obvious to me that the folks who will be able to “afford” to live in North Camden in the future—be that income or more importantly location to jobs will not be the folks who are currently here. I am wondering if we have given any thought to this??????? Even providing affordable housing in the neighborhood means that folks earning income will have to provide them transportation to distant jobs—is this viable? What is the thinking on this?
NYT Article: BLueColloar Jobs Disappear, Taking Families’ Way Of Life Along
No More Jobs–Familie’s Lives Change
January 16th, 2008 · 3 Comments
Tags: Participation
3 responses so far ↓
1 Save Our Waterfront // Jan 16, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Donna Hardy Johnston from the Camden County Workforce Investment Board is trying to find out what people’s transportation needs are – some transportation money is becoming available and she wants to know how to allocate it. She will be a the public meeting tomorrow night and she would really love to talk to people. She will have some surveys available. Any suggestions on how to connect her with residents would be appreciated.
-Veronica
2 Father Jeff // Jan 17, 2008 at 8:27 am
Yes, the transportation survey is helpful and will provide much data. However, what I took from the NYT article was that the distance to and from available jobs is changing families. The quality of life that families are able to have is dramatically affected when someone has to commute 1- 2 hours a day. There are more fuel costs and the added time involved.
How I link this to North Camden is that many available jobs that folks work are located outside of the immediate community, thus requiring commuting and costs. With the present job situation, it seems like available jobs are moving even further to the suburbs. How does this dynamic impact our community? Is that one of the reasons that we have such a large transient population? Are people following the jobs?
3 Save Our Waterfront // Jan 17, 2008 at 11:04 am
Yes, this is a big problem around the country – people of low-income usually have to travel to wealthier areas for work, often these places are in outlying suburban areas. With the costs of gas and maintaining an automobile, this can cause a huge financial burden for families. And public transportation is often not on option for traveling to suburban areas. With the sprawl development model we have created over the last few decades, the solution is not yet clear. One important thing to do is to revitalize cities and provide housing options for all income levels. Vibrant cities can provide a variety of job options. Still, the issue you bring up is one to be conscious of, for sure.
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