INEQUALITY AND POLARIZATION
Across the US, the middle class is shrinking, and San Francisco has one of the smallest in the nation. Though GDP and other macroeconomic indicators may look bullish, studies show that health and happiness are much more correlated to rates of income inequality. Prioritizing equity will continue to be a challenge in San Francisco’s future.
- What is the appropriate public response to inequality? Are there effective tools the public sector can leverage to address income disparity, affordability, displacement and other dimensions of social inequity?
- Is inequality likely to worsen in SF, or will the situation will improve over time?
- How can mobility improve for everyone?
Inclusive Transit: Advancing Equity Through Improved Access & Opportunity
TransitCenter, July 2018
“Access to high-quality public transportation can make cities more inclusive, increasing mobility and opportunity, particularly for people with low incomes and people of color.”
Who is moving into — and out of — SF?
48Hills, October 2016
“A whopping 12% of the city’s population turns over every year—so while the news has focused on all the people moving in to the city, the other side of the equation is that approximately 50,000 residents have been leaving San Francisco annually over the last five years.”
Inequality Is Killing the American Dream
FiveThirtyEight, December 2016
“Decades of rising income inequality and slowing economic growth have eroded a pillar of the American dream: the hope that each generation will do better than the one that came before.”
America’s ‘Big Sort’ Is Only Getting Bigger
CityLab, October 2016
“On the one hand, like-minded people cluster together or with other like-minded people, and on the other, such clustering together makes people more like-minded.”
Fixing Wealth Inequality: Future Generations Will Think Us Mad, and They Will Be Right
The Guardian, August 2016
“We ignore the distributional outcomes of globalisation and unfettered market capitalism at our peril.”
Black Lives Matter: Birth of a Movement
The Guardian, January 2017
“The killing of Michael Brown created a new generation of black activists, with thousands taking to the streets, and a hashtag used more than 27m times. But will the movement survive the Trump era?”
Commutes to San Francisco get longer for those earning under 40k
SF Chronicle, December 2015
“The median commute distance for people who work in San Francisco and earn less than $40,000 jumped from 9 miles in 2008 to almost 15 miles in 2013, according to a study by Zillow.”
Wealth Inequality in America, Perception vs Reality
politizane, YouTube, November 2012
“Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.”
Inequality for All
Robert Reich, Various formats, 2013
“A documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country’s widening economic gap.” – IMDB
Hotel 22
New York Times, YouTube, January 2015
“In Silicon Valley, the region’s homeless use a 24-hour bus line as a shelter at night.”
Zillow analysis of US Census statistics
SF Chronicle, December 2015
- Girl Statue Faces Wall Street Bull to Fight Gender Inequality, BBC News, March 2017
- Lifelong Learning Is Becoming an Economic Imperative, The Economist, January 2017
