Can I get to work?

Detroiters are finding it harder to get to work these days. The Brookings Institution reported this week that finding work within a reasonable commuting range for Detroiters, and others throughout the country has become increasingly more difficult, particularly for African Americans and Hispanics.
The report said the number of jobs within typical commuting range dropped 7 percent between 2000 and 2012 in major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Jobs near poor people in Metro areas, many of whom cannot afford cars, fell 17 percent, versus a 6 percent drop for those who were not considered poor. Jobs near Hispanics fell 17 percent, and those near blacks dropped 14 percent.
It’s a story that is all too common for the people of Detroit, as many cannot find work in Detroit proper, forcing many to work well outside the city limits. People are commuting upwards to at two hours and two buses – just to get to work.
Many residents are without cars — about 40 per cent of Detroit’s population, according to federal figures — often enter low-paying retail or sales positions far outside the city.
The number of Detroit residents who work outside the city is nearly double the number with jobs inside the city, according to statistics from regional planning organization Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMGOC).
More than 228,000 Detroit residents commute beyond the city limits, while only about 115,000 people who live in Detroit also work in the city, SEMCOG says.
Elizabeth Kneebone and Natalie Holmes of Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program used U.S. Census Bureau data for 96 big metro areas to find how many jobs were available within each area’s median commuting distance — the figures ranged from 12.8 miles in Atlanta to 4.7 miles in Stockton, California.
For years, analysts and policymakers have worried that jobs were moving to the suburbs and away from the inner-city poor. What they found was this: Jobs and people of all incomes and races are moving from densely populated urban neighborhoods to the suburbs. As they do, the distance between people and jobs will expand as well.
This means that nearby jobs can fall even when overall jobs increase. Jobs in Phoenix and its suburbs, for example, grew almost 11 percent from 2000 to 2012. But jobs within the typical commuting range fell nearly 17 percent over the same period.
“People in the suburbs need to get to jobs in other suburbs,” Kneebone said to the Associated Press.
According the Associated Press and U.S. News & World Report, 29 of the 96 metro areas enjoyed an increase in jobs within commuting range from 2000 to 2012. Nearby jobs rose nearly 58 percent in McAllen, Texas, and nearly 23 percent in Bakersfield, California. Cleveland (down nearly 27 percent) and Detroit (down almost 26 percent) had the biggest drops in jobs within typical commuting distance. Which means Detroit lost jobs overall.
The report recommended that communities within metro areas work together to make sure low-income workers can find and pay for public transportation to take them to distant jobs. Until a comprehensive plan is put in place, many of the poor throughout the city of Detroit will continue to struggle to get to work.
Zack Burgess is an award winning journalist. He is the Director/Owner of OFF WOODWARD MEDIA, LLC, where he works as a writer, editor and communications specialist. His work can be seen at zackburgess.com. Twitter: @zackburgess1