Race, Housing, and Social Inequality in Urban America (November 2024)

This essay first appeared in the November 2024 issue of Choice (volume 62 | issue 3).

Posted on November 13, 2024 in Bibliographic Essays

Introduction:

This essay examines the critical body of literature exploring the intersection of race, housing, and the long history of social and economic inequality in urban America. It especially singles out for examination such phenomenon as the shaping of the “Black ghetto” and the major forces engendering that process, namely the Great Migration following the Civil War (c. 1877–1920) and the role of local and federal policy, including restrictive covenants, zoning ordinances, U.S. Federal Housing Administration policy, the action of real estate brokers, and bank policies. It concludes with a look at recent literature on the Black underclass and the subject of racism versus caste.

About the Author:

John F. Bauman is Professor Emeritus of History and Urban Studies at California State University of Pennsylvania (PennWest). He has authored many books and articles focusing on cities, race, housing, and urban planning. He is Past President of the Society for City and Regional Planning History, the Pennsylvania Historical Association, and a board member of the Retirement Housing Foundation.

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