{"id":485889,"date":"2010-03-29T11:53:09","date_gmt":"2010-03-29T15:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/restorationandresilience\/?p=619"},"modified":"2010-03-29T11:53:09","modified_gmt":"2010-03-29T15:53:09","slug":"could-an-urban-%e2%80%9cjobs-surge%e2%80%9d-boost-storm-surge-protection-for-coastal-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/485889","title":{"rendered":"Could an Urban \u201cJobs Surge\u201d Boost Storm Surge Protection for Coastal Cities?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Spring has barely sprung, but thoughts have already turned to what millions of young Americans will do this summer. High school and college-aged students could once look forward to spending their lazy, hazy vacation days working as camp counselors or doing temp work at restaurants, farms, and local small businesses. But as the recession drags on,\u00a0more and more\u00a0middle-aged people are\u00a0competing for these positions<\/a>. As a result, it\u2019s likely that the teenage unemployment rate, already at a three-decade high,\u00a0will remain\u00a0elevated again<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n

Though this problem cuts across racial and geographic lines, it is particularly acute in America\u2019s cities and its minority communities, which are already wrestling with joblessness at levels well-above the national average<\/a>. To fight this, a former mayor of New Orleans has now asked for a \u201cjobs surge\u201d in hard-hit urban centers to combat youth unemployment. (Funny enough, it echoes an idea we mentioned last month<\/a> here on "Restoration and Resilience"). We think that this strategy should\u00a0involve wetland<\/strong> restoration projects that will\u00a0protect cities against storm surges<\/strong> and other natural hazards.<\/p>\n

The Summer Jobs Surge<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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2009 average unemployment by racial background in the United States (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In a report released last Wednesday, National Urban League President (NUL) Marc Morial, who led New Orleans from 1994 to 2002,\u00a0asked the Obama Administration to\u00a0devote $5 to $7 billion\u00a0to an expansion of youth summer job programs<\/a>.\u00a0NUL estimates that this expansion could provide up to five million jobs for teenagers this summer.<\/p>\n

Conservation work in urban wetlands would be a natural fit for a more comprehensive summer jobs program. As we\u2019ve begun showing in our analysis of the Central Wetlands Unit restoration<\/a>, employment opportunities could be available for people with little education and few advanced skills. A \u201cjobs surge\u201d in coastal restoration and marsh rehabilitation could provide\u00a0employment for young people and protection of vulnerable infrastructure in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Not Just for New Orleans<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The benefits would not just be limited to communities in coastal Louisiana.\u00a0Two of the country\u2019s\u00a0five largest cities \u2013 New York and Houston \u2013 lie in the zone\u00a0of Atlantic hurricane landfalls.<\/strong> In these areas, restored wetlands could provide valuable services like storm surge protection, carbon sequestration, and wastewater treatment.<\/p>\n

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Map of Jamaica Bay and surrounding neighborhoods in New York City (Source: Department of City Planning, New York City)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Already, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York has allocated $115 million for\u00a0rehabilitation of\u00a0Jamaica Bay<\/a>, a wetland area just south of John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport, one of the nation\u2019s busiest. Jamaica Bay is an important habitat for migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway<\/a>, and provides a storm surge\u00a0buffer<\/a> for JFK and nearby neighborhoods like Canarsie and Howard Beach. New York City\u00a0should\u00a0work with\u00a0organizations involved\u00a0in its\u00a0Department of Youth and Community Development's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)<\/a> to get teenagers from Brooklyn, Queens, and other boroughs involved in this restoration work. In a similar way, wetlands near other urban centers could be targeted for investment and summer jobs programs.<\/p>\n

Let's hope\u00a0lawmakers act fast. Otherwise, the only program coming this June to a couch near you will be a re-run of the young and the listless.<\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Spring has barely sprung, but thoughts have already turned to what millions of young Americans will do this summer. High school and college-aged students could once look forward to spending their lazy, hazy vacation days working as camp counselors or doing temp work at restaurants, farms, and local small businesses. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4273,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-485889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4273"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}