Architecture of Segregation: Civil Unrest, the Concentration of Poverty, and Public Policy

Posted by The Century Foundation on August 17, 2015

Concentrated Poverty Rate Soars, Especially Among Racial Minorities

A new report from the Century Foundation finds that the number of Americans living in high-poverty neighborhoods has doubled in the past 15 years, from 7.2 million in 2000 to 13.8 million today. Architecture of Segregation: Civil Unrest, the Concentration of Poverty, and Public Policy argues that local housing policies have created an “architecture of segregation,” leading to millions more minority families living in neighborhoods of extreme poverty. Suburban and exurban development has also contributed to the growth of concentrated poverty by driving money and businesses out of older suburbs and inner cities, according to the report. The author argues that high-poverty neighborhoods are major drivers of poverty as a whole, and policymakers must address concentrated poverty to solve broader issues.

http://apps.tcf.org/architecture-of-segregation