This week, new Census data revealed rising poverty across the U.S. and MetroTrends bloggers jumped into the debate on its causes and consequences:

• Austin Nichols explores differences in poverty across metro areas and between cities and suburbs within metros.
• Rolf Pendall argues that many of the communities experiencing rising poverty, though outside primary central cities, aren’t really suburbs either.
• Gregory Mills and William Monson show that many poor people are turning to pay-day loans and pawn shops for emergency loans – and paying a shocking price.
• Gina Adams worries that poor children may miss out on public prekindergarten programs that don’t fill the whole work day.

Also reflecting the grim state of the national economy, foreclosures are on the rise:

• Leah Hendey and Rob Pitinglo highlight metros suffering from the combination of high-unemployment and high foreclosures.

The week marked the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, so safety and security were also at the top of our minds:

• Ten years after 9/11, Akiva Liberman urges us to distinguish between meaningful security measures and those that are mostly symbolic.
• Susan Popkin and Robin Smith highlight the chilling consequences for young girls of living in violent and crime-ridden neighborhoods.

We hope you learned something new from the MetroTrends bloggers. If you did, pass MetroTrends on to friends and colleagues.  And come back next week!