The Brookings Institution recently released a report on "job sprawl" or communities where jobs moved farther away from city centers between 1998 and 2006. The goes directly against the principles of Smart Growth and the policies that the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative is trying to implement. Spacial Mismatch, a phenomenon which occurs when the employment opportunities for workers are located far away from where they live. This often affects low-income workers the most as the travel costs affect them the greatest.
An article in The Plain Dealer, Northeast Ohio jobs move farther away from city centers, study finds outline more of the effects of sprawl and the study:
Elizabeth Kneebone, the report's author, said many people realize that urban sprawl hurts the environment and the tax base of cities. "Now we must recognize what job sprawl means for the economic health of the nation," she wrote.
Robert Puentes, a Brookings senior fellow, added: "Allowing jobs to shift away from city centers hurts economic productivity, creates unsustainable and energy inefficient development and limits access to underemployed workers."
Cleveland Councilman Roosevelt Coats said some of these workers are residents of his South Collinwood ward. Many don't have cars to get to suburban jobs, or they face bus rides of nearly two hours to places like Solon. Long commutes with bus changes leave these workers vulnerable to fatigue and tardiness, which could cost them their jobs -- especially in a recession.