Module 51

Challenges of Urban Changes

LG 51-1 Economic Challenges from Urban Population Movement

• Population Movement Trends: Constant movement of people in and out of cities, suburbs, and within cities creates housing challenges.
• Housing Discrimination: Illegal practices such as redlining and blockbusting affect certain neighborhoods and increase homelessness.
• Displacement Risks: Urban renewal and gentrification disproportionately displace immigrants, ethnic minorities, and low-income populations.
• Mortgage Definition: A loan taken out to buy a home, often affected by discriminatory practices.

Key Terms

• Redlining: Identifying high-risk neighborhoods and refusing to lend money for property purchases in those areas.
• Blockbusting: Real estate practices persuading white homeowners to sell due to declining neighborhoods from incoming black families.
• Housing Affordability: The maximum price a buyer can afford to pay for housing; high housing costs can lead to negative trade-offs for families.

LG 51-2 Social Challenges Cities Face

• Access to Essential Services: Difficulties in obtaining social services such as police, fire protection, and sanitation, often limiting help for low-income communities.
• Urban Crime: High crime rates linked to poverty and segregation; significant disparities exist in violent crime among different racial and ethnic groups.
• Environmental Injustice: Disproportionate exposure of low-income and minority populations to environmental hazards, termed environmental racism.
• Squatter Settlements: Poorly constructed housing often without legal rights, resulting from a lack of affordable housing in developing cities.

LG 51-3 Responses to Urban Challenges

• Inclusionary Zoning (IZ): Policies requiring a share of new construction to be affordable for low and moderate-income residents, helping combat economic segregation.
• Local Food Movements: Initiatives to improve access to nutritious food for low-income communities, including community gardens and urban farming projects.

Key Terms

• Inclusionary Zoning: Regulation requiring new developments to include affordable units.
• Exclusionary Zoning: Land use regulations that prevent low- to moderate-income individuals from residing in certain neighborhoods.

LG 51-4 Consequences of Urban Renewal and Gentrification

• Urban Renewal: Redevelopment projects often lead to displacement of long-time residents; early projects focused on demolition, while recent efforts may emphasize rehabilitation and local empowerment.
• Gentrification Process: Upper-middle-class individuals moving into lower-income neighborhoods, leading to increased property values and displacement of current residents.
• Commercial Gentrification: Followed by residential improvements, introducing new businesses that cater to wealthier populations; can exacerbate existing inequalities.

LG 51-5 Government Fragmentation and Urban Governance

• Fragmented Government Structures: Diverse local governments complicate coordination and service provision, particularly affecting funding and resource availability for inner city needs.
• Fiscal Imbalance: Occurs when local governments, losing wealthy populations, face revenue losses and struggle to provide essential services.
• Consolidation of Services: A proposed but often unpopular remedy to streamline services across fragmented governments, reducing redundancy.

Key Terms

• Fiscal Imbalance: Financial situation where governments spend more than they receive in taxes.
• Fiscal Zoning: Land-use regulations aimed to preserve local tax bases, often leading to competition between municipalities rather than cooperation.