Connecticut Metropatterns A Regional Agenda for Community and Prosperity in Connecticut Myron Orfiel

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Connecticut MetropatternsA Regional Agenda for
Community and Prosperity in ConnecticutMyron
OrfieldThomas Luce
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CONNECTICUT M E T R O P A T T E R N SKey
Findings

• Simple contrasts between cities, suburbs and
  rural areas are out of date
• Stressed
• At-risk
• Fringe-developing
• Bedroom-developing
• Affluent
• All types of communities are hurt by the way the
  state is growing
• All places would benefit from regional and
  statewide reforms
• Reform is politically possible

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M E T R O P A T T E R N SGrowth Patterns

• Between 1970 and 2000 urbanized land area
  increased by 102 percent while population grew by
  just 12 percent
• Increasing congestion average commute times
  increased by 16 percent in the 1990s
• Loss of open space farmland decreased by nearly
  10 percent between 1987 and 1997

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M E T R O P A T T E R N SSchools

• Schools are a powerful indicator of a communitys
  health and a predictor of the future.
• Middle-class families choose to live in the least
  poor school districts they can afford.
• When a places schools begin to become poorer, in
  more cases than not, the community will follow.

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M E T R O P A T T E R N S Fiscal Capacity

• The tax resources of local government
• Tax capacity indicates how high tax rates must be
  to support a given level of public services.
• Current and prospective residents and businesses
  want value for their tax dollars.
• Low local tax base combined with high needs push
  tax rates up and/or services down.

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M E T R O P A T T E R N S Suburban Typology
Analysis of 169 municipalities showed six
distinct types of communities

• Stressed - 17 of the population
• At-risk 28 of the population
• Fringe-developing 6 of the population
• Bedroom-developing 24 of the population
• Affluent suburbs 11 of the population
• Cities 14 of the population

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M E T R O P A T T E R N S Resources vs. Need
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M E T R O P A T T E R N S Consequences

• All types of places are hurt by the status quo
• Stressed and At-risk
• Low tax base, high and increasing social stress,
  insufficient or aging infrastructure
• Fringe-developing
• Low and stagnant tax base, growth-related costs
  (infra-structure and schools) on largely
  residential tax base
• Bedroom-developing
• Growth-related costs on largely residential tax
  base, loss of green space
• Affluent
• Congestion, long commutes and loss of green space

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M E T R O P O L I C YFiscal Reform
Policies to reduce fiscal inequality already
exist in all states. Equity-based reforms can

• Reduce dependence on local property taxes
• Reduce inequalities in tax rates and services
• Reduce competition for tax base
• Encourage joint economic development efforts
• Complement regional or state-wide land-use
  planning

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M E T R O P O L I C Y Land-Use Reform

The central elements of comprehensive land-use
reform include

• Smart growth
• Reinvest in existing areas
• Develop in areas that can support it
• Protect open space
• Reduce barriers to affordable housing

• Regional coordination of local planning
• Statewide efforts already exist in 16 states

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M E T R O P O L I C Y Regional Leadership and
Decision-Making


From the Articles of Confederation to the
Constitution

•   Regional governments exist in all metro areas.
  They need to perform better by
• Better coordinating infrastructure with growth
• Reinvesting in older parts of the region
• Developing regional land-use plans

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M E T R O P O L I T I C S Conclusion

Regional cooperation helps all suburbs

• Stressed and At-risk
• Lower taxes, better services and more
  reinvestment
• Fringe-developing
• More resources for schools, sewers and clean
  water
• Bedroom-developing
• Fiscal stability, less congestion, shorter
  commutes
• Affluent
• Less congestion, more open space, shorter commutes