Residential Patterns of Minorities in the Metropolis

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This is a study of residential patterns of minorities in the metropolis. It will examine two important aspects of residential patterns that are only indirectly captured by the traditional use of segregation indices. The first is the geographic configuration of areas of minority group concentration as "ethnic" or "minority" neighborhoods. The second is the determinants of individual locational choices and outcomes. The study will include New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and examine white, blacks, Hispanics and Asians in each region. A more detailed analysis will focus on the major white ethnic groups (such as Italians, Irish, Germans) and on national-origin subgroups among Hispanics (e.g., Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicans), Asians (e.g., Chinese, Koreans), and blacks (treating separately blacks from the larger non-US origin groups such as the English-speaking Caribbeans and Haitians). The project will begin by calculating descriptive measures of the extent of segregation in each area, and then test a variety of hypotheses concerning ethnic concentration, drawn from the more recent sociological theories, including the underclass and the ethnic enclave models. This research will increase our knowledge about the degree to which several ethnic and racial groups are becoming concentrated in certain urban neighborhoods, and it will provide a scientific understanding of the factors that cause such concentration. This is vital information on which to base policy decisions concerning housing, city services, and schooling. In addition, it will contribute to our understanding of the persistent disadvantage suffered by some ethnic groups and neighborhoods.