Paper #2- Urban/Residential Segregation

Urban/ Residential Segregation

            Over the years diversity has increased across the country, America’s neighborhoods remain highly segregated due to discrimination of different ethnic cultures. Residential segregation refers to the separation of people into different neighborhoods based on their race or ethnicity, class, socio-economic status, and gender.  Residential segregation persists in metropolitan areas like New York, where minorities make up a large part of the population. Throughout history, one race and gender has always been viewed superior from others, which consists of a white male. The sense of superiority created the concept of segregation. Segregation is a serious social problem since the location of where people live determines what schools children attend, availability to transportation and other services, and job opportunities. Segregation was common in the years 1950’s to 1970’s, however it continues to take place in the city of New York.

            Segregation means the separation of people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and different interests from others. As a result, segregation brings about negative encounters such as limited opportunities, freedom, and an increase in deviant behaviors. Usually, immigrants or people in the lower classes would move into industrial areas to come across different opportunities and success. Harlem consisted of a high population of immigrants, due to the easy access of transportation to other cities. However, these cities consisted of terrible living conditions and overcrowding of cities. On the other hand, wealthier people found their way to these suburban areas of New York and the city went through gentrification. In addition, New York City became a melting pot of cultures and people of the same ethnic background often moved into the same neighborhoods, where their culture was dominant. This results to residential segregation from other people living in the same neighborhoods. In the article “Racial segregation and health disparities between Black and White older adults” by Stephanie A. Robert and Erin Ruel (2006), researchers theorize that racial segregation affects health through two general pathways. First, racial segregation can reinforce racial differences in different opportunity structures that could affect health, education, economic issues, and occupation. Second, racial segregation creates an environment of discrimination that could lead to stress and other additional health issues (Robert & Ruel, p.S203-S204). The research from the article discusses how metropolitan areas that contain high racial segregation usually have high adult and infant mortality rates (Robert & Ruel, 2006, p.S204). This article demonstrates how racial and residential segregation can tremendously affect a person’s health.

            In many cases, minorities tend to live in areas where they feel stronger cultural ties that bind them together according to their ethnic backgrounds. For instance, places like Little Italy, Harlem and Spanish Harlem. In our core class The New York Experience we got to explore different cultural cities, and many of them went through the process of gentrification. In the article “Linking Integration and Residential Segregation” by Gideon Bolt, Sule A Ozuekren and Deborah Phillips (2010), it states how different ethnic groups typically concentrate in a small  number of poor neighborhoods, where they live in the worst residences, have horrible positions in the workforce or are unemployed (Bolt, Ozuekren & Phillips, 2010, p.160-170). According to the article, people who isolate themselves from neighborhoods of different cultures will bring about an increase in residential segregation (Bolt, Ozuekren & Phillips, 2010, p.170). Residential segregation is thought to contribute to social inequality. For example, those who are segregated and live in poor neighborhoods are more likely to have unemployment, engage in deviant behaviors, and increase school dropout rates than those who live in rich white neighborhoods. Furthermore, in the 1950s and 1960s, migrants from South Asia and the Caribbean faced social and spatial discrimination (Bolt, Ozuekren & Phillips, 2010, p.182).  Segregation and discrimination has calmed down over time due to an increase of different cultures in New York City. However, since the incident of 9/11 in New York City, Muslims brought about an increase in discrimination. For instance, in schools and different communities, Muslims are automatically viewed to some people as terrorists that later lead people to discriminate and segregate them from neighborhoods.

            Most importantly, crime is occasionally the result to issues of discrimination and segregation. The National Neighborhood Crime Study for 7,622 neighborhoods in 79 cities throughout the United States reveals that segregation is associated with violent crime for white and nonwhite neighborhoods (Krivo, Peterson & Kuhl, 2009, p.1765). Sixty two percent of blacks in the United States live in high segregated metropolitan areas, with the separate black and white neighborhoods providing different environments. In the article, “Segregation, racial structure, and neighborhood violent crime” by Lauren Krivo, Ruth Peterson and Danielle Kuhl demonstrates how segregation creates an increase in violent crimes of minority communities and in more segregated cities all neighborhoods suffer from high rates of violent crime (Krivo, Peterson & Kuhl, 2009, p.1766). Ultimately, segregation brings about inequality in criminal violence and the mission is to maintain urban areas with little violent and social problems. New York is affected since poor neighborhoods consist of high rates in crimes.

            In conclusion, segregation is an important topic throughout history. Although segregation has decreased, we continue to experience racial diversity in some areas more than ever before. In New York, people are beginning to accept different ethnic backgrounds, due to such a high diverse population. However, discrimination continues to occur in New York neighborhoods, which leads to things like crime, unemployment and substance abuse. In addition, over the year’s segregation has shifted to different forms of isolation, including different groups of religion or those who have different sexual interests. As a result, the urban segregation in metropolitan areas like New York has increased due to the negative stigmas people apply to minorities, religious groups, and people with different interests.

References

Bolt, G., Ozuekren, A. S., Phillips, D. (2010). Linking Integration and Residential

        Segregation. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(2), 169-186.
        Retrieved from http://library.molloy.edu:2074/ehost/detail?
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Krivo, J., Peterson, D. R., Kuhl, C. D. (2009). Segregation, Racial Structure, and

        Neighborhood Violent Crime. American Journal of Sociology, 114(6), 1765-1802
         Retrieved from http://library.molloy.edu:2074/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid
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Robert, A. S., Ruel, E. (2006). Racial segregation and health disparities between

        Black and White older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, 61B(4), S203-S211 
        Retrieved from http://library.molloy.edu:2074/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=8&sid=
        0720ab58-  19bb-4be6-a5fa-9457f18ba775%40sessionmgr14&bdata=
        JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2009244721