This October 2014 Brookings Institution article describes a unique Baltimore-based study on the roots of poverty, offering insights into how the cycle of poverty might be broken. This is, of course, of great relevance to anyone wishing to create resilient revitalization in poor cities or neighborhoods.
The researchers randomly selected a sample of 790 Baltimore six-year-olds who were about to start first grade in 20 Baltimore City public elementary schools. The random selection afforded perspective on the experience of children city-wide.
What was intended at the outset to be a three-year snapshot bloomed into a three-decade longitudinal study when they realized that their project had the potential to illuminate large questions about the drivers of urban poverty, privilege, and persistent socio-economic immobility across generations.