While narratives about gentrification and segregation dominate the headlines, one study found evidence of increased integration around the United States.
"In all parts of the United States, the number of neighborhoods that sustain a mix of black, white, Asian and Hispanic residents over time is growing quickly," reports Gillian Kiley.
Kiley is sharing the findings of a new study published in Demography and written by researchers at Brown University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. "Global Neighborhoods: Beyond the Multiethnic Metropolis," as the study is titled, "assessed 342 metropolitan regions with populations of at least 50,000 over the period from 1980 to 2010 to determine whether integrated neighborhoods existed outside of the nation's most diverse metropolitan centers."
The authors chose the term "global neighborhoods" to describe places where whites and blacks live alongside Hispanics, Asians, or both. According to the study, global neighborhoods "are showing up in large numbers in each type of metropolitan center, throughout the country, in urban areas with different histories and combinations of populations."
While the study might seem at first glance to report unequivocally good news, there are also a few reasons to pause. "While the number of global neighborhoods is on the rise, the study also found increasing numbers of all-minority neighborhoods caused by white residents moving out of previously mixed areas—close to a 50 percent increase over the 30-year period," adds Giley.
FULL STORY: Integrated neighborhoods more common across the US, study finds
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.