Spatial justice through regionalism? The inside game, the outside game, and the quest for the spatial fix in the United States

Abstract

Some regionalists advocate a spatial fix for urban poverty by engaging suburbs in a regional solution. This paper analyzes three such regionalist strategies in light of theories of justice. The idea behind regional strategies for poverty is that they will allow for equality of opportunity and thus improve the life-chances of the impoverished. Yet, casting justice in terms of equality of opportunity alone means neglecting the non-economic aspects of life – capabilities, social needs, urban life and vitality. Changing the spatial distribution of the population may create a more optimal and equitable spatial allocation, but in some ways it fails to acknowledge basic human aspirations to live in security, in community, or in a revitalized core.

Taake my word for it Sammy, the poor in a loomp is bad. (Tennyson's The Northern Farmer quoted in Lund, 1999)

Keywords:

• regional development
• poverty
• equity
• housing