Funded Research
Immigration and Metropolitan Residential Segregation
Source: NIH/NICHD
Active: 09/01/2008 - 06/30/2010
Investigator(s):
John Iceland
It is commonly thought that differences in residential patterns across racial and ethnic groups reflect social divisions and distance. Very high levels of Black-White segregation, for example, illustrate deep, historically-rooted racial fissures in the United States. Moderate declines in Black-White segregation in recent decades likely indicate some change in racial attitudes and stronger enforcement of antidiscrimination laws. In contrast, Asians and Hispanics have experienced no change or small increases in residential segregation in recent decades. It is thought that high levels of immigration may be affecting patterns of segregation for Asians and Hispanics, as new immigrants often settle in ethnic enclaves even as longer-term residents disperse into outlying areas. However, there has been no direct test of this proposition, in part due to data constraints. The goal of this project is to therefore use restricted data from the 1990 and 2000 censuses to document patterns of residential segregation among native- and foreign-born people of various racial and ethnic groups, and examine the interplay between race and nativity in producing observed patterns. In doing so, this study aims to shed light on the aptness of the spatial assimilation model in explaining residential patterns of groups composed of many immigrants, as opposed to models that stress the overarching role of race and racial conflict in determining where people live.
