Spatial Boundaries and the Local Context of Residential Inequality

Elizabeth Roberto, Yale University

There is a long history of research on the patterns and problems of residential segregation. Much research focuses on the prevalence of racial and ethnic segregation, but largely overlooks the spatial form of segregation patterns and fails to capture key aspects of how segregation is locally experienced. I developed a new method for studying the spatial context of segregation that foregrounds the role of spatial boundaries and attempts to align the measurement of distance with the way it is locally experienced. In this paper, I extend my approach to measure multiple forms of spatial inequality at a variety of geographic scales. I examine the local and city-wide association of ethnic and racial residential segregation with educational attainment and exposure to crime and violence. Understanding the spatial dynamics residential inequalities is critical to advancing our knowledge of how and why segregation matters for important individual and community outcomes.