New Jersey Metropatterns : A Regional Agenda for Community Stability in New Jersey

This research identifies the suburban typology of New Jersey through a study of the social and fiscal disparities within the state's metropolitan areas. Municipal tax base and other demographic data, such as poverty rates measured at the school-level, are used to show wide variations in the capacities of suburban municipalities to provide local public services. The results show that 65% percent of New Jersey's residents live in municipalities that either show clear signs of current fiscal and social stress or are at-risk of such difficulties in the near future. A range of regional fiscal, planning, and governance reforms are also evaluated