mapping communities of opportunity in massachusetts
TRANSCRIPT
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
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