Who is prioritized in neighborhood policy?

Demographic changes in the United States have resulted in cities with fewer children and more singles. However, a focus on building family friendly communities remains common among regional and urban political actors. There appears to be a mismatch between the demographic reality of US communities and political actors' focus. In this research note, we use a sample of 170 Michigan policymakers and a representative sample of 943 Michigan adults to investigate how different demographic groups are prioritized when it comes to neighborhoods, and whether it matters for residents' neighborhood experiences. We find that both groups de-prioritize the neighborhood needs and preferences of singles and couples without children, who consequently experience significantly lower levels of neighborhood satisfaction. We conclude by recommending that regional and urban political actors balance the neighborhood needs of different groups, and that researchers disaggregate the impacts of urban political outcomes by relationship and parenthood status.