Hgap 6.10

Learning Goals

• 51-1 Explain economic challenges that result from movement of urban populations.

• 51-2 Explain the social challenges that cities face.

• 51-3 Identify responses to economic and social challenges in urban areas.

• 51-4 Identify the consequences of urban renewal and gentrification.

• 51-5 Explain how government fragmentation challenges efficiency in urban governance.

Urban Transformations

• Urban changes affect demographics, layout, and quality of life.

• Historically, these transformations negatively impact- immigrants, ethnic minorities, and poor residents.

• Displacement during gentrification and vulnerabilities to disasters and lack of access to urban services are common issues.

Economic Challenges from Urban Population Movements

Housing Discrimination

• Housing discrimination impedes housing accessibility.

• Key practices include:

  • Redlining: Illegally denying loans based on neighborhood risk assessments, affecting predominantly minority communities.

  • Blockbusting: Realtors inciting fear among white homeowners to sell, leading to white flight and higher prices for minority buyers.

Effects of Discrimination

• Results in a cycle of poverty, worsening education and labor outcomes for affected neighborhoods.

• Leads to property deterioration as home loans and improvements are unattainable.

Affordability Issues

• Definition: Affordability refers to a property price manageable within percentage of family income.

• Historic changes in maximum mortgage payments from 20% to 30% since the 1940s-1980s.

• Rising rents lead to:

  • Commuting challenges.

  • Increased overcrowding and reduced expenditure on essentials (healthcare, education).

Government Assistance

• The federal housing choice voucher program helps low-income families find decent housing but often leaves them at risk of homelessness.

• High rental costs contribute to homelessness; HUD reported over 552,000 homeless individuals in the U.S. in 2018.

Social Challenges in Urban Areas

Crime Statistics

• Violent crime trends show a decline (1995-2015) but highlight persistent disparities in violent crime linked to demographic factors.

• Immigration may correlate with lower crime rates in certain neighborhoods due to socioeconomic dynamics.

Hotspots of Crime

• “Hotspots” gather higher crime incidents, often necessitating strategic policing and community engagement.

• Evidence suggests that eliminating public housing can lead to increased crime rates due to displacement.

Access to Services

• Access to essential services like healthcare can be problematic for low-income residents.

• Service delivery is hindered by location, affordability, and residents’ awareness of available resources.

• As urban populations grow, cities struggle with increasing demands, leading to more homelessness.

Environmental Injustice

• Definition: When marginalized groups bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards.

• Environmental Racism: Poor communities of color face greater exposure to pollution and industrial waste.

• Case Study: Flint, Michigan - Water crisis illustrates how environmental negligence disproportionately affects impoverished communities.

Squatter Settlements

• Urban poverty leads to increased squatter settlement creation as governments fail to provide low-cost housing solutions.

• Definitions and characteristics:

  • Formed from scavenged materials; lack fundamental amenities and rights to land.

  • Examples: favelas in Latin America, slums growing globally; 1 billion people live in such conditions.

Urban Renewal and Gentrification

Urban Renewal

• Involves large-scale redevelopment, often displacing existing residents.

• Shifts in approach from demolition to rehabilitation since the 1970s focus on collaboration and local empowerment.

Gentrification

• Definition: Out-migration of lower-income residents from improving neighborhoods as wealthier populations move in.

• Mixed results include revitalization of infrastructures and increased property values opposed by negative impacts like socio-economic tensions and displacement.

Responses to Urban Challenges

Inclusionary Zoning

• Mandates affordable housing inclusion in new developments, helps desegregate neighborhoods.

• Requires developers to allocate below-market rate units; optional or mandated laws exist across U.S. states.

Local Food Movements

• Urban agriculture initiatives promote healthy, affordable food access in cities.

• Examples include rooftop gardens and community vegetable plots, which provide better nutrition, especially in low-income areas.

Fragmentation of Local Governance

• Challenges arise from overlapping jurisdictions and varying powers which complicate service delivery and funding.

• Solutions such as consolidation of services face political resistance.

• Efficiency and service provision improve with better coordination across municipalities.