Regional alliances key to fighting sprawl
June 1, 2003 Sunday TWO STAR EDITION
SECTION: LOCAL, Pg.B-4
LENGTH: 463 words
HEADLINE: EXPERT: REGIONAL ALLIANCES KEY TO FIGHTING SPRAWL
BYLINE: ERVIN DYER, POST-GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
BODY:
To survive suburban sprawl, Pittsburgh needs stronger regional cooperation that shakes the narrow focus of grassroots groups and stirs the nonchalance of suburbanites, an expert in race and ethnicity said yesterday at a conference in Pittsburgh on equity and urban growth.
"Unless you work together as a region, Pittsburgh will be more polarized, more racially and economically segregated and there will be more tax and financial burdens," said John A. Powell, director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University.
He was the keynote speaker at the conference, "Promoting Regional Equity Through Smart Growth," at the Omni William Penn hotel, Downtown, attended by more than 200 representatives of faith-based, education, grassroots and municipal groups. They discussed options for smart land use and infrastructure development that ensures affordable housing, public transportation and economic expansion.
The conference was hosted by Sustainable Pittsburgh, the Local Government Academy and the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network.
Roots of sprawl began in the 1930s when the federal government reworked housing laws to reduce down-payments and extend mortgage loans.
But it also "red-lined" areas in which the government deemed homes less likely to hold their value.
The process quickly became racialized, with many of the areas red-lined mostly black and older urban neighborhoods.
By the mid-1950s, as more blacks streamed into the cities, whites flowed out. The exodus, known as "white flight," marked the beginnings of sprawl.
The phenomenon has significantly changed the urban landscape, said Powell.
Fifty years ago, 60 percent of Americans lived in 192 cities, including Pittsburgh, which had jobs, resources and was a strong central-city area.
Today, more than 60 percent of Americans live outside of cities, in more than 9,500 sprawling areas.
The change has left Pittsburgh one of the most fragmented regions in the nation, Powell said.
As communities are more racially segregated and pushed increasingly into haves and have-nots, infrastructures, such as schools, roads and sewers, are strained.
During the 1990s, recognizing that communities remain inter-connected fueled growth in Cleveland, Columbus and other cities battling sprawl issues. During the same time span, Pittsburgh lost population, yet 40 percent more land was used.
To turn matters around, said Powell, community groups must understand market forces and social justice issues.
In Pittsburgh, organizations should build a regional outlook supported by religious, social justice, racial and other coalitions.
"You have to recognize common destinies and reach across organizations," said Powell, "You can't be narrowly defined."
