Transcript
Event Summary: The U.S. Census Bureau is the nation's primary provider of data on urban populations and businesses. According to data experts, proposed reductions in the FY 2006 Census Bureau budget could lead to a decrease in the availability and reliability of information vital for urban markets and communities.
Denice Warren from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, John Helms from the Mississippi Development Authority, University of Baltimore researcher and former Census official Cynthia Taeuber, and Andrew Reamer, Deputy Director of the Brookings Urban Markets Initiative discussed the implications of the prospective loss of Census data for the ability of researchers, government decisionmakers, businesses, and community developers to:
- determine the nature and extent of social and economic concerns, such as poverty, unemployment, educational attainment, and health insurance coverage
- plan for transportation infrastructure improvements
- promote job creation and economic development, and
- prepare for and respond to major disasters in urban areas.