KNAU exploring 'poverty with a view'

KNAU, Northern Arizona University's public radio station, is seeking input on an upcoming series about the challenges of living in a beautiful environment with a high cost of living.

A community brainstorming session, hosted by KNAU, National Public Radio and Flagstaff Cultural Partners, will be held 7-9 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, 2300 N. Fort Valley Road.

The meeting is expected to generate a wide range of ideas and suggestions for themes, story angles and voices to include in an upcoming KNAU series called Poverty with a View, inspired by listener focus groups conducted by NPR in Flagstaff last year as part of a national research project.

"Poverty with a view" emerged as a phrase listeners routinely used to capture what they said was an ongoing conflict between desirability and affordability, a sentiment also being felt in other communities in the intermountain West.

Organizers say they hope to hear from residents who have chosen to live in Flagstaff, even though the cost of living is lower elsewhere. Those who have sacrificed a level of livelihood for what they perceive to be a higher quality of life are especially welcome to share their views at the session.

Poverty with a View is scheduled to air on KNAU in the spring.