Title: Creating and Sustaining Diversity in the 21st Century:
1Creating and Sustaining Diversity in the 21st
Century Lessons from the Neighborhoods
2Important time in U.S. history
- We are becoming a more diverse nation
- By 2050 it is projected that the U.S. population
will be 50 minority
3(No Transcript)
4And there is increased acceptance of diversity
- According to a 1997 Gallup Poll
- ?61 of all Whites 83 of all Blacks in the
U.S. stated that they would rather live in a
neighborhood with both black and white families. - ?When Whites were asked if they would move if
Blacks moved into the neighborhood in great
numbers, only 18 reported that they would move.
In 1967 this figure was 72.
5Increased acceptance of diversity
- A 1997 Boston Globe poll found that
- ?Almost 90 of blacks, whites, Latinos, and
Asians say they have developed friendships that
cross racial and ethnic lines - ?Although many Americans still chose to live
with their own ethnic or racial groups, strong
majorities of all colors profess tolerance of
other races and ethnic groups
6Existence of stable, diverse neighborhoods
- Racially, ethnically, and economically diverse
communities exist in many cities - Bucking the stereotype that a diverse
neighborhooda changing neighborhood - What factors contribute to stable diversity?
7Research focusing on the positive story
- Focus on policies strategies that have brought
and can bring about stable diversity to urban
neighborhoods - We know there is greater demand for diverse
neighborhoods than there are diverse
neighborhoods available - By presenting positive examples of stable
diversity, we can short circuit notion that
diversity is only a temporary point in
resegregation
8The Study
- Coordinated by the Loyola University Center for
Urban Research and Learning, the Policy Research
Action Group, and the Leadership Council for
Metropolitan Open Communities - A collaborative universitycommunity,
researcherpractitioner effort - Funded by HUD
9The study
- Diversity is defined as how close each tract
came to the whole citys racial and ethnic
composition - Stable is defined as approximating this
diversity for two consecutive census years (1980
and 1990)
10Which communities did we study?
- Fourteen neighborhoods in nine cities
11Place US map with studied cities here
12Which communities did we study?
- New York City
- Jackson Heights, Queens
- Fort Green, Brooklyn
- Philadelphia
- West Mt. Airy
- Memphis
- Vollintine-Evergreen
13Which communities did we study?
- Milwaukee
- Sherman Park
- Chicago
- Rogers Park
- Edgewater
- Uptown
- Chicago Lawn (Marquette Park)
- Denver
- Park Hill
14Which communities did we study?
- Houston
- Houston Heights
- Oakland
- Fruitvale
- San Antonio
- Seattle
- Southeast Seattle
15Common Characteristics
- Attractive Physical Characteristics
- Mixture of types of diversity
- Within blocks
- Small pockets of racial/ethnic homogeneity
- Presence of social seams
- Residents awareness of their communitys stable
diversity - Community-based organizations contributing to
maintaining diversity
16Common Characteristics
- Moral or value-oriented component to community
organization/institution involvement - Efforts to spur economic development
- Common Challenges
- transition from older to younger residents
- addressing community disinvestment
- community safety
- schools
17Common Challenges
- Transition from older to younger residents
- Addressing community disinvestment
- Community safety
- Improving quality of education
18Two models of diversity
- Diversity by Direction
- Diversity by Circumstance
19Diversity by Direction
- Emerged out of civil rights movement of the 1960s
- actively market themselves as diverse
- developed an array of community
organizations, social networks,
institutional accommodations
to sustain diversity
20Diverse by Direction
- Community-based organization intervention
- promoting positive perceptions
- affirmative marketing programs
- monitoring fair housing laws
- addressing quality of life concerns
- Religious congregations play prominent role
- Social seams well developed
21Diverse by Direction
- More political and financial resources
- Working relationships with banks and real estate
agents - Emergence of strong leadership within community
- Bi-racial or bi-ethnic, rather than
multi-racial/ethnic character
22Diversity by Circumstance
- Community has not worked directly to
develop/sustain its diversity the
community happens
to become diverse
23Diversity by Circumstance
- Result of economic social processes not
directly related to resident or community
organization actions, such as - gentrification stalled by poor real estate market
- establishment of port of entry for new immigrants
- revitalization of adjacent areas/spill-over
investment - transition because of aging population
- development of affordable housing
- Social seams not as visible or as strong
24Diversity by Circumstance
- Multi-racial and/or multi-ethnic
diversity
- Network of community organizations that
represents different ethnic/racial group interests
25Diversity by Circumstance
- Lower median income
- Affordable housing represents larger portion of
housing stock
26Diversity by Circumstance meeting the challenges
- Religious institutions act as bridges between
multiple ethnic groups - Developing efforts to weave together various
ethnic and racial groups
27Recommendations Conclusions
- Develop strategies to strengthen community-based
organizations - Establish regional networks of diverse
communities - Create leadership training institutes
- Public private agencies should earmark
resources specifically for diverse communities
28Recommendations Conclusions
- Increased receptivity to new immigrant groups
- Maintain or strengthen fair housing laws,
anti-discrimination laws, the Community
Reinvestment Act, other related state local
laws - Government agencies should be proactive in
promoting diverse neighborhoods
29Recommendations Conclusions
- The media should take an active role in telling
positive stories of diverse community successes - Support public private programs supporting
mixed-income developments - Business should look carefully at diverse
communities as potentially strong markets - Bolster the quality of local schools
- Promote efforts to improve community safety
30Looking ahead to the future...
- We can end the notion that the only stable
neighborhood is a segregated neighborhood
Greenhouse/Boston Globe