State’s suburbs are facing a crossroads

There is nothing that could be worse for the monumental task of desegregating the state than for our bet on the suburbs to start paying off again. As Connecticut considers acting on some of its longest-standing obstacles to equity, both trends are playing out simultaneously.

The push toward equity is being led in part by a newly formed group called Desegregate CT, made up of planners, advocates and others who want to fight the state’s barriers to a more just society by taking on zoning, which the group’s lead organizer, UConn law professor Sara Bronin, calls “low-hanging fruit” where changes could be made quickly.

The group has unveiled a set of policy proposals aimed at the walls that separate many of Connecticut’s suburbs from anyone who is not rich and white, and they have some lawmakers on their side who say they are ready to lead the charge. (The governor and legislative leaders, however, are more circumspect.)

Proposals include increasing housing supply, including housing diversity — meaning more duplexes and in-law apartments, sometimes called gentle density or the “missing middle” between single-family homes and large apartment buildings. It’s the kind of multifamily housing that can be built unobtrusively, provided zoning codes allow for it, which many don’t. The group also wants to standardize permitting, reduce parking requirements and better educate land-use officials, among other ideas.

Put together, the group’s goals could go a long way toward adding diversity, in housing and population, to otherwise static suburbs. Bronin, in a phone interview, said the effort is long overdue. “When you tackle zoning, it’s a solution that comes at no cost to the state,” she said. “What you’re doing is giving the private market a chance to build what is in demand in the town. Some communities constrain the market, and some don’t.”

At the same time as this desegregation effort, spurred by the protests over the death of George Floyd and others, Connecticut is seeing the beginning of a trend where it gains during a downward cycle for New York City. “Connecticut bet big on the suburbs. That might finally pay off,” reads a headline in the Wall Street Journal from this past week, with the story showing how rich New Yorkers have decided they like having a little space to themselves at a time of global pandemic and social distancing, and that further, they might like to hold onto that space even after it’s safe to return to their regular routines. This follows reporting from Hearst Connecticut Media showing an influx of New Yorkers moving into Connecticut, with at least some planning a long-term stay.

If Connecticut towns, especially the richest, most segregated among them, decide they don’t need to pursue an integration agenda, one that could mean an economic gain as well as construction of a more dynamic, livable infrastructure, then the work of groups like Desegregate CT could go for naught.

Bronin, for her part, thinks a lot of those New Yorkers could be in for a surprise. “People from New York City are accustomed to diversity and vitality,” she said, and without changes in the suburbs they’re considering, “people are going to be in for a shock.”

Connecticut has been stagnating since even before the Great Recession in large part because it offers too much of one thing — high-priced suburbia. The move to urbanize Connecticut towns has the benefit of increasing integration while also making the towns more interesting for young people and transplanted workers who need a place to live. That explains the push in so many communities for a downtown-like experience, even in places that have been car dependent for generations.

If Connecticut can instead fall back on appealing to New Yorkers looking to get out of the city — much like it did during the ’70s and ’80s, when New York was facing a different era of crises — it would be a short-term help but bring long-term malaise. Eventually, the coronavirus threat will fade and people will realize the city has what they still want, and Connecticut will be right back where it started.

The right choice for the state both economically and for purposes of justice is to desegregate its suburbs. State lawmakers should carefully consider what options are on the table, because the momentum for change may not last. The currently scheduled special session, which does not include any zoning plans, does not have to be the end of the story.

“We know what we have to do,” Bronin said. “Now we need the state to just do it.”