Photo Source: Uconn Magic Interactive Maps
This is a sample post that we are doing in class.
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Author: Kerry McCarthy
Kerry McCarthy is a senior at Trinity College and from Andover, Massachusetts. She is a double major in Educational Studies and Sociology.
New
Photo Source: Uconn Magic Interactive Maps
This is a sample post that we are doing in class.
Literature Search
In order to get started on my research for Essay 1, I decided to look for sources that will help with my writing. The first is “Urban Space, Restrictive Covenants and the Origins of Racial Residential Segregation in a US City, 1900-50” (Gotham, 2012). I chose this because it will be important to give historical information on the roots of racial segregation in relation to restrictive covenants in US cities. I plan on relating this information to what we have learned in class about Hartford.
The second source I found is an article titled “Uncertain Neighborhood Effects and Restrictive Covenants” (Hughes and Turnbull, 2012). I chose this article, from a book, because it will be helpful to understand the neighborhood effects of restrictive covenants in cities besides Hartford.
The third source I found is titled “A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining” and was published in the BusinessWeek magazine (Benson, 2011). I chose this because it shows that some cities are still experiencing the effects of redlining. The article speaks about how neighborhood members banded together in order to fight the authority, which will be interesting to read.
My last source is from the Encyclopedia of Chicago website, and it is simply a definition of the term “blockbusting” (Hirsch, 2012). We learned about this term in class but I plan to write about it in Essay 1 so it is important that I get more background information before writing.
WORKS CITED:
Benson, Clea. “A Renewed Crackdown on Redlining.” BusinessWeek: magazine 5 May 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.
Gotham, Kevin Fox. “Urban Space, Restrictive Covenants and the Origins of Racial Residential Segregation in a US City, 1900–50.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 24.3 (2000): 616–633. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.
Hirsch, Arnold R. “Blockbusting.” Encyclopedia of Chicago 2005. Web. 21 Sept. 2012, http:// encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/147.html.
Hughes, Jr., and Geoffrey K. Turnbull. “Uncertain Neighborhood Effects and Restrictive Covenants.” Journal of Urban Economics 39.2 (1996): 160–172. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.
Exclusionary Zoning Response
Zoning is a strategy used by towns in order to organize residential and corporate land areas. In order to ensure that the town does not become over-developed or cramped, developers utilize zoning strategies in order to organize their land and separate homes from businesses. These strategies also plan out park space, school space, and other neighborhood areas. Furthermore, there are zoning restrictions in residential areas that limit the physical size of homes, how many people can live there, and how much yard space is allowed, among numerous other factors.
Unfortunately, zoning is a tactic used by towns in order to exclude lower class citizens from purchasing a home within their district. In this way, these strategies fall under the term, “exclusionary zoning”. Various zoning restrictions, such as minimum lot sizes and low-density rules limit the opportunities for low-income families to purchase homes in certain areas. Low-income families may not be able to afford a home on their own, but since there are low-density limits on most houses in the suburbs, they are not allowed to live with another family. Furthermore, houses can be zoned for particular uses, usually expensive uses, in order to exclude those who cannot afford it. “These types of land use policies increase the costs of development, and therefore the price of housing in suburbs” (Reece et al, p. 20).
In the suburbs, public services are predominantly funded by property taxes. This means that these homes are even more expensive and therefore it is highly unlikely that low-income families can afford to live there. There is documented evidence showing that African American and Hispanic households are more often than not segregated into low-opportunity neighborhoods due to zoning and other land use policies. This means that white families are concentrated in the high-opportunity suburbs. Therefore, exclusionary zoning leads to racial segregation.
Sources:
Jason Reece, et al., People, Place, and Opportunity: Mapping Communities of Opportunity in Connecticut: A Report Commissioned By the Connecticut Fair Housing Center (Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, 2009)
http://www.norwichct.org/filestorage/43/79/ZoningMap03.jpg
Results and Reflections on Home Buying Simulation
In the Home and School Buying Simulation, I was assigned a $54,000 annual gross income. I also have a car and savings for a down payment. Because of these factors, I had a fairly easy time finding houses to buy in the suburbs surrounding Hartford. In order to find a home, I simply searched for homes in my budget on Craigslist and browsed through multiple choices. This process did not take me very long and I had plenty of options. However, if I did not have a car, I would not have been able to look at homes too far outside of Hartford. I also have money saved for a down payment and minimal monthly debt payments, which both aided in this process. Although I could easily rent property, I would rather own a home in order to build equity.
I researched the four school districts where my children would possibly attend school. South Windsor and Southington seem to have better public schools than Bristol and Manchester. I came to this decision based on CMT scores in the elementary schools, because my children are in grades 3 and 6. South Windsor and Southington public elementary school students either tied or surpassed state average CMT scores. Furthermore, I looked at high school graduation rates because my children will eventually attend these schools. South Windsor has a 95% high school graduation rate while Southington has a 99% high school graduation rate.
Because of my relatively high annual gross income and minimal monthly debt payments, this process was stress-free and I had ample options. However, I would not be able to live in the suburbs if I did not have a car. Therefore, I would live in Hartford and my children would attend Hartford Public Schools. My family is lucky that we can move to the suburbs in order to attend different public schools.
As for improving this simulation for the web, I actually prefer completing it on paper. That way, I can spread all of my information out in front of me in order to make an informed decision.