Residential segregation

Residential segregation is the uneven distribution of social groups across neighborhoods or geographic areas. It can arise through policy, market forces, discrimination, and individual choices.

Redlining: The denial or restriction of financial services in neighborhoods, often based on racial composition. Mortgage discrimination restricted where many households could buy homes and build wealth.
Spatial mismatch: A condition in which workers live far from suitable jobs, often because employment moved away from their neighborhoods. Segregation can separate residents from suburban jobs and increase commuting barriers.
Racial segregation in the United States: The historical and continuing separation of people by race across institutions and public life in the United States. Residential patterns form one major dimension of the broader American system of racial separation.
Dissimilarity index: A measure of how evenly two groups are distributed across smaller areas within a larger area. It quantifies the unevenness of group distribution central to many definitions of segregation.
Racial covenant: A deed restriction that barred people of specified races or ethnicities from occupying or buying property. Private property restrictions enforced neighborhood separation before courts invalidated them.
School segregation: The separation of students among schools by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Neighborhood boundaries and school assignment policies often reproduce residential separation in classrooms.
Shelley v. Kraemer: A 1948 U.S. Supreme Court case that barred courts from enforcing racially restrictive housing covenants. The ruling limited judicial enforcement but did not eliminate private discrimination or segregation.
Isolation index: A measure of the likelihood that members of a group share an area with members of the same group. It captures exposure to one’s own group, a dimension distinct from uneven distribution.
Zoning: Government rules that regulate land use, building forms, and permitted activities. Single-family zoning and related rules can limit housing supply and exclude lower-cost homes.
Environmental justice: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decisions and protections. Segregated communities are often disproportionately exposed to pollution and environmental hazards.

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