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Reversal of Fortunes? Lower-income Urban Neighbourhoods in the US in the 1990s

Author

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  • Ingrid Gould Ellen

    (Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, 295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012, USA, ingrid.ellen@nyu.edu)

  • Katherine O'Regan

    (Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, 295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012, USA, katherine.oregan@nyu.edu)

Abstract

This paper offers new empirical evidence about the prospects of lower-income, US urban neighbourhoods during the 1990s. Using the Neighborhood Change Database, which offers a balanced panel of census tracts with consistent boundaries from 1970 to 2000 for all metropolitan areas in the US, evidence is found of a significant shift in the fortunes of lower-income, urban neighbourhoods during the 1990s. There was a notable increase in the 1990s in the proportion of lower-income and poor neighbourhoods experiencing a gain in economic status. Secondly, in terms of geographical patterns, it is found that this upgrading occurred throughout the country, not just in selected regions or cities. Finally, it is found that the determinants of changes in lower-income, urban neighbourhoods shifted during the 1990s. In contrast to earlier decades, both the share of Blacks and the poverty rate were positively related to subsequent economic gain in these neighbourhoods during the 1990s.

Suggested Citation

  • Ingrid Gould Ellen & Katherine O'Regan, 2008. "Reversal of Fortunes? Lower-income Urban Neighbourhoods in the US in the 1990s," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(4), pages 845-869, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:45:y:2008:i:4:p:845-869
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098007088471
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ingrid Gould Ellen & Katherine O'Regan, 2010. "Welcome To The Neighborhood: How Can Regional Science Contribute To The Study Of Neighborhoods?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 363-379, February.
    2. McKinnish, Terra & White, T. Kirk, 2011. "Who moves to mixed-income neighborhoods?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 187-195, May.
    3. Sevrin Waights, 2019. "The preservation of historic districts—is it worth it?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(2), pages 433-464.
    4. Malone, Thom & Redfearn, Christian L., 2018. "Shocks & ossification: The durable hierarchy of neighborhoods in U.S. metropolitan areas from 1970 to 2010," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 94-121.
    5. Sevrin Waights, 2018. "Does gentrification displace poor households? An 'identification-via-interaction' approach," CEP Discussion Papers dp1540, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    6. McKinnish, Terra & Walsh, Randall & Kirk White, T., 2010. "Who gentrifies low-income neighborhoods?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 180-193, March.
    7. Schuetz, Jenny & Larrimore, Jeff & Merry, Ellen A. & Robles, Barbara J. & Tranfaglia, Anna & Gonzalez, Arturo, 2018. "Are central cities poor and non-white?," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 83-94.
    8. John R. Hipp & Nicholas Branic, 2017. "Fast and slow change in neighbourhoods: characterization and consequences in Southern California," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 257-281, September.
    9. Ying Huang & Scott J. South & Amy Spring, 2017. "Racial Differences in Neighborhood Attainment: The Contributions of Interneighborhood Migration and In Situ Change," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1819-1843, October.
    10. Meltzer, Rachel & Ghorbani, Pooya, 2017. "Does gentrification increase employment opportunities in low-income neighborhoods?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 52-73.

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