Live Long and Prosper: Does CED Impact How Long We Live?

<p>I often think about ways in which local government matters in the daily lives of citizens. This month, a major study was released showing how local conditions, and community and economic development, infrastructure, and planning in particular, may have a direct impact on the most basic quality of life indicator for its citizens: life-span. The New York Times featured an article on the study, and its column called the Up-Shot features an interactive map that provides area-specific details.</p> <p>The study, published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined anonymous income and mortality data on over a billion people across the U.S. between 2001-2014. The main finding was while wealthier communities have seen life expectancy increase over this time period, the life expectancy of the poor, on average across the country, has remained the same. The gap between the rich and poor in life years has increased.</p> <p>What is particularly important for CED professionals is the finding, however, that geography matters. For upper income households there are no significant community level differences. In other words, if you are wealthy, it doesn’t matter where you live in the U.S., on average. You are always expected to live about the same length of time. But if you are poor, where you live does make a difference in how long you are expected to live.</p> <p>How does this play out in North Carolina? Some communities are marginally better or worse for lower-income households in terms of life-span. A good example of this pattern can be seen in central [...]</p>