City segregation

Date and country of first publication

1975
United States

Definition

City segregation refers to the separation of different racial or ethnic groups within a city or metropolitan area. This separation can occur through various factors such as residential patterns, economic disparities, and institutional practices.

Historically, city segregation has been a result of discriminatory practices such as redlining, which denied home loans or insurance to certain racial or ethnic groups, effectively confining them to specific neighborhoods. This has led to the creation of "ghettos" or predominantly minority neighborhoods with limited resources and opportunities.

City segregation can perpetuate social and economic inequalities as it often results in unequal access to quality education, healthcare, employment, and other essential services. It can also contribute to the widening wealth gap between different communities, as areas with higher concentrations of poverty tend to have limited economic opportunities.

Efforts to address city segregation and promote integration have been ongoing. These initiatives include fair housing laws, affordable housing programs, and community development projects aimed at improving opportunities for marginalized communities. However, despite these efforts, city segregation remains a persistent issue in many cities around the world.

Notes

At its current state, this definition has been generated by a Large Language Model (LLM) so far without review by an independent researcher or a member of the curating team of segregation experts that keep the Segregation Wiki online. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its reliability, completeness and timeliness. Please use this content with caution and verify information as needed. Also, feel free to improve on the definition as you see fit, including the use of references and other informational resources. We value your input in enhancing the quality and accuracy of the definitions of segregation forms collectively offered in the Segregation Wiki ©.

Further reading

Sørensen A.; Taeuber K.E.; Hollingsworth L.J., Jr. (1975) "Indexes of racial residential segregation for 109 cities in the United States, 1940 to 1970", Sociological Focus, 8(2), pp. 125-142. . DOI: 10.1080/00380237.1975.10571422

FARLEy J.E. (1982) "BLACK MALE UNEMPLOyMENT IN U.S. METROPOLITAN AREAS: THE ROLE OF BLACK CENTRAL CITy SEGREGATION AND JOB DECENTRALIZATION", Journal of Urban Affairs, 4(3), pp. 19-34. . DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9906.1982.tb00062.x

Farley J.E. (1983) "Metropolitan housing segregation in 1980: The St. Louis Case", Urban Affairs Review, 18(3), pp. 347-359. . DOI: 10.1177/004208168301800304

Klemek C. (2006) "Ever a divided city? Segregation, fragmentation, and »the problem of the color line« in twentieth century urban history", Archiv fur Sozialgeschichte, 46(), pp. 557-564. . DOI: [1]

Fischer M.J. (2008) "Shifting geographies: Examining the role of suburbanization in blacks' declining segregation", Urban Affairs Review, 43(4), pp. 475-496. . DOI: 10.1177/1078087407305499

Meltzer R. (2013) "Do Homeowners Associations Affect Citywide Segregation? Evidence From Florida Municipalities", Housing Policy Debate, 23(4), pp. 688-713. . DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2013.812571

Harrison C. (2015) "Extending the ‘White Way’: municipal streetlighting and race, 1900 1930", Social and Cultural Geography, 16(8), pp. 950-973. Routledge. DOI: 10.1080/14649365.2015.1040060

Logiodice P.; Arbex R.; Tomasiello D.; Giannotti M. (2015) "Spatial visualization of job inaccessibility to identify transport related social exclusion", Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on GeoInformatics, 2015-November(), pp. 105-118. National Institute for Space Research, INPE. DOI: [2]

Bedir M.; Provoost M. (2017) "The density syndicate in Cape Town: The case of lotus park", Urban Book Series, 139-146. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-46289-9_11

Carlos A.F.A. (2018) "The Power of the Body in Public Space: The Urban as a Deprivation of the Right to the City", Urban Book Series, 27-42. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-74253-3_2

Holmes M.D. (2018) "Police violence across the racial spatial divide", Sociology of Crime Law and Deviance, 23(), pp. 139-158. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.. DOI: 10.1108/S1521-613620180000023009

Silva C.A.V.; Ospina-Tascón J.J.; Ristic M. (2019) "Heritage as a Mediator of Socio Spatial Segregation", Urban Heritage in Divided Cities: Contested Pasts, 162-171. Taylor and Francis. DOI: 10.4324/9780429460388-10

Laurence P.L. (2019) "Jane Jacobs's urban ethics", Cities, 91(), pp. 29-38. Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2018.02.028