1. Equity and Sustainability in a
New Era
john a. powell
M a y 2 1 st, 2 0 0 9
PRISCM
Sustainable Calvert Forum
Special thanks to Sponsors:
THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
COALITION, CONCERNED BLACK WOMEN OF
CALVERT, THE INTERFAITH COUNCIL, AND THE
PUBLIC LIBRARY

2. Presentation Overview
 Calvert County Trends
 Regional Context
 Economic Recovery & BRAC Impact
 What’s Next for Maryland and Calvert County?

3. Calvert County

4. Calvert County has benefitted from growth
Opportunity mapping
shows Calvert as
having high
opportunity…
Source: U.S. Census 2000, Kirwan Institute

5. Infrastructure Development
 Military investments in Dowell
 Infrastructure investments:
 Maryland RTA
 Thomas Johnson Bridge
 Maryland Route 4
Photo Source: Calvert Marine Museum, kid baltimore

6. Growth in Calvert County
Calvert County Maryland Population
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

7. Growth in Calvert County
Change in Population by
County: 2000-2007
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
-0.05
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

8. Growth in Calvert County
Calvert County Housing Construction
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
Units
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

9. Calvert County Change
 In 1850, African Americans
comprised 62.4% of the
county’s population
 By 1930, African Americans
were 47.4% of the
population, remaining
somewhat stable
 Since the opening of a Navy
training site in 1942, the
African American population
has continued to decrease …to
today’s 13%
 Rising cost of living (push)
 Job opportunities closer to
D.C. and Baltimore (pull)
Photo from BaltimoreSun.com
Source: Calvert County, Maryland; www.co.cal.md.us

10. Calvert County Change (con’t)
 Many African Americans moved to the D.C. and
Baltimore areas…
 However, recent rising costs to live in those areas has led to
some residents moving back to Calvert County, while others
are being priced out of the region altogether
Photo from DCGentrification.com

11. Who lives in Calvert County?
Demographic Trends
90.0%
80.0%
70.0% White
60.0%
Black
50.0%
Male
40.0%
30.0% Female
20.0% Owner Occupied
10.0% Renter Occupied
0.0%
Calvert Maryland
Source: U.S. Census 2000

12. Who lives in Calvert County?
Pct. Below Poverty Level in 1999
16.0%
14.0%
12.0%
10.0%
8.0%
6.0%
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%
White Black White Black
Calvert Maryland
Source: U.S. Census 2000

13. Who lives in Calvert County (con’t)?
Calvert County Demographic Trends
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
Black White Other (estimate)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

14. Change in Poverty by Race: 1990-2000
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Anne Arundel Baltimore County Calvert Harford Howard Montgomery Prince George's Baltimore City
1989 % of Whites Below Poverty 1999 % of Whites Below Poverty 1989 % of Blacks Below Poverty 1999 % of Blacks Below Poverty

15. Increasing inequality in Calvert County
 Despite an 8.4% increase in median household
income between 2000 and 2007, poverty also
increased in Calvert County during the same period.
Median Household Income
(U.S. Census 2000) % African American % With at least Bachelor's Degree % Below Poverty Level
(in 2007 dollars)
Maryland 27.7% $65,797 11.9% 8.3%
Calvert County 13.0% $82,072 9.1% 4.3%
(A.C.S. 2007) % African American Median Household Income % With at least Bachelor's Degree % Below Poverty Level
Maryland 28.8% $66,873 12.8% 8.0%
Calvert County 13.2% $88,989 11.7% 4.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

16. Regional context

17. Regional Opportunity
Thompson
indicators
DC Metro
Area
Indicators

19. 19

20. 20

21. 21

23. Economic Recovery & BRAC

24. BRAC Impact
 While Fort Monmouth will
be closing, Aberdeen Proving
ground will be gaining 14,159
employees, and will see a
$6.5 billion per year increase
in research and development
activity
 Fort Meade will gain 10,679
employees, including 4,300
from Arlington. Calvert Co.
Source: BaltimoreSun.com

25. BRAC Impact on Maryland
Md. officials to announce $65 million for BRAC
The Associated Press 8:19 AM EDT May 1, 2009
 Maryland officials say the state is set to receive about $65 million to help
with transportation needs related to military base realignment.
The money will is slated to help pay for improvements to roads and mass
transit near the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort
Meade in Anne Arundel County.
Maryland is preparing for nearly 30,000 jobs that are headed to the state
due to the 2005 base realignment and closure process.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/brac/bal-brac0501,0,7235338.story

26. The ARRA Impact on Maryland
 A proposed $1 billion
dollar investment in
MD
 $17 MM to Calvert
County
 How will the Recovery
Act impact the
opportunity landscape?
 Equitable opportunity?
 Decreased disparity?
 …or the reverse??

27. The Recession & Recovery
 Although the U.S. has been in a recession for more than a
year, people of color have been in a recession for nearly five
years and have entered a depression during the current
economic crisis
 The black family poverty rate increased 2.8% from 2000 to
2007.
 The Hispanic family poverty rate (19.7%) is roughly twice
that of the overall poverty rate (9.8%)
 Yet African Americans and Latinos are under-
represented in the industries targeted through the
Reinvestment Act
27

28. What’s Next?
MOVING MARYLAND AND CALVERT COUNTY
TOWARDS
TRUE SUSTAINABILITY

29. What is sustainability in the 21st Century?
 We need integration with opportunity to have a
truly just and sustainable society
 A society where a geographic identifier does not
predict an individual’s life chances
 Diverse (healthy, integrated)
economic, social, religious, civic, neighborhood, housin
g and academic options for all
 A society where everyone has the means to live a life
they have reason to value (Amartya Sen)
 **Public funding shrinks opportunity divides, it does
not widen them**

30. Sustainability for people
 Daniel Janzen, the world’s
foremost tropical biologist writes:
“Here's what nature does for us no
matter who we are or where we
live...Human animals carry around
this big brain, this big device for
processing input. Part of our ability
to use that device depends on the
complex stimuli that challenged it
throughout our evolution. Nature
— whatever is out there, from a
single tree to a whole forest —
provides a big wad of the possible
information that we can process. If
you diminish nature, you diminish
the diversity of those stimuli.
When we don’t get input from
nature, we don’t end up having
much sense of smell, hearing, or
vision. Television becomes our
reality.
The Importance of the Outdoors in Children's Lives, Bright Horizons E-Family News

31. Inequality in Maryland
 Maryland experienced the 7th largest growth in the
U.S. in income inequality over the last two decades.
 The richest 20 percent of Maryland families have
average incomes 7.3 times as large as the State’s
poorest 20 percent of families.
 The average income of the poorest fifth of families
did not change significantly.
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

32. Inequality in Maryland
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

33. Inequality in Maryland
 Title I funds to Maryland increased at a rate more
than twice that of Washington and Virginia in the
last two years.
 In Maryland, Title I funds went from almost $170
million in 2006 to more than $191 million in 2008,
representing an increase of more than 12%.
 Economists and advocates say this increase points to
climbing unemployment, a persistent income gap,
and pockets of concentrated poverty.
Source: Erika Woodward, “Federal Funding Shows Poverty May be on Rise in MD.” Sothern Maryland Online.
May 6, 2009; citing U.S. Department of Education statistics.

34. Foreclosure Impacts
 State- and region- wide, foreclosures have surged
in the third quarter of 2008:
 Maryland up 22%
 D.C. quadrupled
 VA tripled
 The top three counties in MD foreclosures, second
quarter 2008:
 Prince George’s County (32.0%)
 Montgomery County (14.7%)
 Baltimore City (11.1%)

35. The Price of Inequities
 Wasted Creative Capacity
 The wasted creative capacity associated with a lack of social,
economic and educational opportunity drags down
competitive strength.
 Fragmented Economic Voice
 To attract investment in the global economy, regions must act
collectively to promote themselves, and they must align key
infrastructure and assets to be more innovative, efficient and
competitive
 Paying for Exclusion
 Residential segregation is fueled by exclusionary housing
policies, but these policies come at a price for all residents
 Inefficient Infrastructure and Government Services
 Regions that are highly fragmented into hundreds of local
governments are often inefficient (redundant) with respect to
infrastructure and government services

36. Equitable Recovery
 Moving Beyond Reactionary Recovery
 Recognizing our linked fate
 Developing equitable systems
 Ensuring sustainable investment and recovery

37. Equitable Recovery
 Towards an Equitable Recovery
 Transparency and Accountability
 Targeted Universalism
 Equity and Opportunity for All
Source: http://statestat.maryland.gov/recovery.asp

38. Communities of Opportunity
 Everyone should have
fair access to the critical
opportunity structures
needed to succeed in life
 Affirmatively
connecting people to
opportunity creates
positive, transformative
change in communities
38

39. Housing is opportunity anchor and key
leverage point
39
Health
Employment
Childcare
Housing
Effective Education
Participation
Transportation

40. Neighborhoods shape access to schools….
40

41. Jobs…
41

42. …impacts health &safety, determines access
to neighborhood resources…
42

43. Calvert County’s Comprehensive Plan
 Calvert County’s
Comprehensive Plan
promotes both
environmental
stewardship and cultural
and ethnic diversity
 How to affirmatively act
on this plan
 Don’t lose the third E in
Sustainability
 Environment
 Economic development
 EQUITY

44. Calvert County’s Housing Opportunities
 While working to maintain the rural nature of the County, the Board of County
Commissioners has also initiated a number of strategies to encourage the
development of housing to meet the diverse needs of its citizens. These initiative
include:
 Establishment of the Calvert Housing Opportunities Loan Fund, which provides
start-up funding to encourage the development of affordable housing and bridge
loans for single-family home ownership;
 Partnership with the State of Maryland to provide down-payment and closing cost
assistance for first-time homebuyers through the House Keys 4 Employees
Program;
 Incorporation of new Planning & Zoning tools to provide additional opportunities
for the construction of affordable housing within the County, including accessory
apartments over or adjacent to businesses and a pilot project to promote duplexes,
triplexes or quadplexes in certain zoning categories;
 Waiver of the purchase of Transfer Development Rights (TDRs), (required for
increased density housing) available for qualifying affordable housing
developments.
 The development of a Housing Information Guide, which provides a listing of local
housing resources.
http://www.co.cal.md.us/business/housingopportunites/

45. Calvert County’s Housing Opportunities
 These measures are a good start, but will not do
enough without also:
 Affirmatively recruiting (and maintaining) families from
across the region with housing outreach services (i.e.
counseling)
 Producing a variety of affordable housing types (i.e. three-
bedroom apartments)
 For example, “Granny flats” affirmatively recruit and meet the
needs of the elderly population but will not meet the needs of
lower-income families

46. Opportunity Based Housing:
Integration into Opportunity
46
 Rethink fair housing…
 Not just integration but integration into
opportunity
 Inclusive fair housing means access to good
schools, jobs, doctors, child
care, transportation, parks, and the civic fabric

47. Linked Fate
 New paradigm for social justice work
 Strengthen our democracy
 Re-conceptualize society to promote the
political, economic, spiritual, and psychological
health of all
Recognize the interconnectedness of our being
and our fate
Reject the myth of scarcity
Target within universalism
 Collaborate and focus on coalition building

48. Thank you!
Please visit www.kirwaninstitute.org