2022 Spring Issue - 90

The
Great
Digital
Divide
How digital technology can play a key role in the
housing experience and close the digital divide.
KYLE BOLDEN
COVID-19 has exposed and amplified the digital
inequities faced by millions of households who
before the pandemic were already facing severe
hardships. As schools closed in response to the
pandemic, some students lacked reliable access
to the internet at home and struggled to stay connected
and engaged in their education. In a 2018
Pew Research Center survey, 17 percent of students
ages 13 to 17 said they are often or sometimes
unable to complete homework assignments because
they did not have access to a computer or an internet
connection.
Also, digital health care became the norm as medical
practitioners adopted digital technologies such as
video visits-or telehealth-to screen, diagnose, and
treat ailments and carry out triage. Yet many patients
were unable to access telehealth at home because
of poor internet connectivity, technical challenges,
or a simple lack of modern communication devices.
According to a KFF analysis of the U.S. Census
Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey, almost
20 percent of people age 65 and older lacked internet
access at home, which, coupled with inexperience
with technology and physical disabilities, impaired
their ability to access telehealth services during the
pandemic.
Today, a staggering 42 million Americans live in
areas where broadband is not available-representing
a stark inequity especially pronounced among
low-income households. In a 2011 poll by Cisco, onethird
of respondents said internet access is just as
important as food, water, air, and shelter. Yet, with
libraries and schools closed during the pandemic,
these families had few options for how to access this
essential service.
The lack of internet, laptops, and smart devices
during the pandemic unmasked the threats the
digital divide poses to employment, education,
banking and financial services, health, social services,
and socioeconomic development of digitally
excluded people.
Housing represents an important opportunity to
bridge the digital divide, yet a burgeoning gap exists
in the availability of high-quality, affordable housing.
That gap will increasingly stymie economic growth,
job creation, consumer spending, and more, if not
addressed-with provision of high-speed internet
connectivity as part of the plan as well.
Today, 42 million Americans live
in areas where broadband is
not available, a situation most
pronounced among low-income
households.
90
URBAN LAND
SPRING 2022
SHUTTERSTOCK

2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue

2022 Spring Issue - Cover1
2022 Spring Issue - Cover2
2022 Spring Issue - 1
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2022 Spring Issue - Cover3
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https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/2024-spring-issue-of-urban-land
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/2024-winter-issue-of-urban-land
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https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/2022-winter-issue
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https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/2022-summer-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/2022-spring-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/ulm-winter-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/summer-issue-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/uli-spring-2021-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/ULIWinter2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/URBANLANDFALL2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/URBANLANDSUMMER2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/urbanlandinstitute/UrbanLand/URBANLANDSPRING2020
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