mapping communities of opportunity in massachusetts

PEOPLE, PLACE, & OPPORTUNITY

Mapping Communities of Opportunity in MassachusettsMay 29, 2009

Massachusetts State HouseJason Reece AICP, Christy Rogers & Samir GambhirThe Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity

The Ohio State University

Reece.35@osu.edu

Funded by Massachusetts Legal Services Programs

Introduction

Today’s discussion Opportunity matters

(Christy) Mapping opportunity

(Samir) Why and how…

Opportunity mapping in MA (Jason

How do you remedy opportunity isolation (Jason)

Section 1

Opportunity Matters: Space, Place, and Life Outcomes

“Opportunity” is a situation or condition that places individuals in a position to be more likely to succeed or excel.

Opportunity structures are critical to opening pathways to success:

High-quality education Healthy and safe environment Stable housing Sustainable employment Political empowerment Outlets for wealth-building Positive social networks

Section 2

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Opportunity Matters: Neighborhoods & Access to Opportunity

Five decades of research indicate that your environment has a profound impact on your access to opportunity and likelihood of success

High poverty areas with poor employment, underperforming schools, distressed housing and public health/safety risks depress life outcomes A system of disadvantage Many manifestations

Urban, rural, suburban People of color are far more

likely to live in opportunity deprived neighborhoods and communities

Which community would you choose? To be safe and have positive health outcomes? For your kids to receive a quality education? Which community would be better for employment and have a more sustainable tax base?

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PLACE HAS A PROFOUND IMPACT ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL BEING

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What are the implications of opportunity isolation? Individual

Poor economic outcomes, lower educational outcomes, degraded asset development

Poor health conditions, higher exposure and risk from crime

Psychological distress, weak social and professional networks

Community/Economy High social costs, distressed and stressed

communities, fiscal challenges Weakened civic engagement and democratic

participation Underdeveloped human capital, poor labor outlook,

poor economic development prospects

Mapping Opportunity: Why and How

The Kirwan Institute has conducted “opportunity mapping” for states and metropolitan regions across the US

Why identify the “State of Opportunity” How are low-income groups

situated in the State? How are racial and ethnic

groups situated? What can be done to improve

the opportunity landscape?

Inequality has a geographic footprint

Maps can visually track the history and presence of discriminatory and exclusionary policies that spatially segregate people

Identifying places with gaps in opportunity can help direct future investment and identify structures which impede access to opportunity

Section 3Mapping Opportunity: Why and How

Mapping Communities of Opportunity: Methods and Indicators

Three areas of opportunity were analyzed using GIS mapping capability: Education Quality and

Opportunity Economic Health and

Transportation Neighborhood Stability

and Health

Opportunity Mapping

Education Quality and Opportunity Student Expenditures Student Poverty Rate Test Scores for Schools Graduation and Dropout Rates Teacher Qualifications

Opportunity Mapping

Economic Health and Transportation Unemployment Rates Population on Public Assistance Proximity to Employment Employment Change: 2000-2005 Mean Commute Time

Opportunity Mapping

Neighborhood Stability and Health Home Values Neighborhood Vacancy Rates Crime Neighborhood Poverty Home Ownership Rate Proximity to Toxic Waste Sites Superfund Sites

Comprehensive Opportunity Map

Comprehensive Opportunity Map: Greater Boston

Comprehensive Opportunity Map: Northeastern Massachusetts

Access to Opportunity: Race, Ethnicity, and Class

Racialized isolation from neighborhoods of opportunity is stunning in Massachusetts

Immigrants from Africa and Latin America were found to be disproportionately concentrated in low-opportunity neighborhoods

Racial isolation into low-opportunity neighborhoods is more pronounced than class-based segregation into these communities

Access to Opportunity: Race Racialized isolation from neighborhoods

of opportunity in Massachusetts: More than 90% of African-American and

Latino households in were isolated in the lowest opportunity neighborhoods in the State

Over 55% of Asian households were found in low-opportunity neighborhoods

By contrast, only 31% of White, Non-Latino households were found in low-opportunity neighborhoods

Access to Opportunity: Race

Access to Opportunity: Immigrants Non-native born Africans and Latinos are

disproportionately concentrated in low-opportunity neighborhoods: 42% of European-born and 46% of Asian-

born residents live in low-opportunity neighborhoods

By contrast, more 70% of non-native born African and Latin American residents live in low-opportunity neighborhoods

Access to Opportunity: Class Racial isolation into low-opportunity

neighborhoods is more pronounced than class-based segregation into these communities 42% of low-income White households live in

low-opportunity communities, while 33% live in high-opportunity community areas

By contrast, more than 95% of low-income Latinos, 93% of low-income African-Americans, and 71% of low-income Asians live in low-opportunity communities

Approximately 90% of high-income African-Americans and Latinos live in low-opportunity communities

Subsidized Housing and Communities of Opportunity

Housing is a strategic intervention point into opportunity and advancement However, 100,000 (nearly 76%) subsidized

housing units in the State is in low-opportunity communities

Only 17,000 units (roughly 12%) of subsidized housing are in high-opportunity communities

Subsidized Housing and Communities of Opportunity

Comprehensive Opportunity Map: Southeastern Massachusetts

Residential Foreclosure and Opportunity

Over half of the State’s estimated amount of high-cost HMDA loans, residential foreclosures, and 90-day residential foreclosures were located in low-opportunity neighborhoods

This data shows the strong relationship between poor lending practices, foreclosure, and vacancy, all of which have been disproportionately concentrated in low-opportunity neighborhoods

Residential Foreclosure and Opportunity

Distribution of Residential Factors Across the Community Opportunity Spectrum

Reflecting on these findings…. What does our analysis find and

suggest? People of color are disproportionately

concentrated in opportunity deprived communities Which places them within a system of

disadvantage that ultimately impacts life outcomes

Creating both an individual and societal tragedy

Subsidized housing reinforces this opportunity isolation

Foreclosures will widen the “opportunity divide” in the State of Massachusetts

What are the implications of this challenge and how can we formulate a response?

What can opportunity maps be used for….. Fair housing (Baltimore) Counseling and advocacy (Chicago) Regional collaboration on issues of

education and housing (Austin) Assisting with grant making and

targeting resources or programming

Remedying Opportunity IsolationSection

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Adopt strategies that open up access to levers of opportunity for marginalized individuals, families, and communities Bring opportunities to opportunity-deprived areas Connect people to existing opportunities throughout the

metropolitan region Invest in people, places, and linkages

People, Places and Linkages

Example: Neighborhood Revitalization45

A systems response Where are your

key leverage points?

What are the critical intervention points?

Equity focused Creating a

community for all (not a model of gentrification)

Emphasis on strategic collaboration

Neighborhood

Revitalization

Housing Stock

Public Investm

ent

Geography (Local; Regional)

Larger Market Forces

Neighborhood

Leadership

Institutional

Partners

Anchor Instituti

ons

Example: Opportunity Based Housing - Integration into Opportunity

Rethink fair housing… Not just integration but integration into

opportunity Inclusive fair housing means access to

good schools, jobs, doctors, child care, transportation, parks, and the civic fabric

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Intervention Strategies for Building Opportunity Communities

Strategies for community-activists, policy-makers, and researchers Adopt an opportunity-based approach to

community development Adopt an opportunity-based approach to

housing advocacy Support both in-place and mobility-based

strategies to affirmatively provide access to opportunity

Adopt a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to advocacy

Section 5

Strategic Opportunities for Change Design strategies that are sensitive

to the unique challenges and strategic opportunities of each community e.g. strategies for an undercapitalized

city might focus on vacant property while strategies in a hot market city might focus on regional affordable housing

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To access this report and other resources please visit us on-line at: www.kirwaninstitute.org