From Three Miles to Eight Miles, and Then?: Analyzing Metropolitan Suburbanization in Cities with Different Growth Management Policies

This article analyzes and discusses U.S. metropolitan suburbanization in three cities with different growth management policies. The study areas are Portland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Cleveland Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). Portland has the Metro, an elected metropolitan government, and an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Minneapolis-St. Paul has a tax-sharing policy and the Metropolitan Council (MC) to enhance regional assets and manage urban growth efficiently. In comparison, Cleveland has no distinguishable policy to counteract suburbanization. This study analyzes metropolitan suburbanization in terms of “a trade-off of opportunity cost” of commuting time and jobs-housing balance in the two cities with polices and in the city without policies. The regression and GIS results support the rationale for planning interventions and policy efforts rather than a policy principle of laissezfaire. Planning interventions and growth management polices are considered to help offset the more slowly increasing opportunity cost of commuting time by faster-increasing employment opportunities, towards a higher balanced jobs-housing ratio through efficient land use.