Wisconsin’s Cities
Over the last half-century, a variety of public subsidies to suburban development – from
massive highway networks to tax breaks for developers – have brought
the dream of ”living in the country” within the reach of tens
of millions of Americans. As a consequence, growth has sprawled out into
the countryside, and the suburb has come to define American demographics.
But the draw of a mythical suburban utopia is not the only force driving
sprawl. Compounding the pull of a half-acre lot on a quite, winding lane
is the push of the decline – or perceived decline – of the quality
of life in America ’s center cities. As such, suburban sprawl is just
as much about urban areas as it is about the suburbs themselves, and reversing
the outward migration that fuels sprawl has to start at its source.
We call for a renewal of faith in the value and the potential of our cities
as the most fundamental step in the reinvigoration of the Wisconsin landscape
as a whole, and a shift to an urban development policy that reflects and
reinforces the fact that our cities are great places to live.
Urban Vitality Indicators
- Property values in central cities versus
suburban areas
- Population growth in central cities
versus suburban areas
- Average income in central cities versus
suburban areas
- Vehicle miles traveled on mass transit
systems statewide
- Funding for Wisconsin’s Urban
Greenspace Program
- Funding for the Wisconsin Main Street
Program
Definitions
Some of our Urban Vitality Indicators make comparisons
between “central cities” and “suburban areas.” For
the purposes of this report, central cities will be defined as the largest
city in a county or metropolitan area where population and commerce is focused.
Suburban areas include all other cities, villages, and townships within
the region. As the data show, we have subcategorized suburban areas into
an inner ring of cities and villages, an outer ring, and rural areas (townships).
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