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Title: The long shadow of racial segregation: Does it affect the infrastructure development of a city?
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2023
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Abstract: In this paper I aim to disentangle the mechanisms underlying the well-documented association between race and the location of waste management facilities (WMFs). To do so, I first study whether WMFs were more likely to be located in neighborhoods with a higher share of black population after controlling for relevant covariates. Secondly, I analyze the socioeconomic consequences following the introduction of WMFs. Using historical data from the 1920-1940 U.S. Censuses and GIS data from the Urban Transition Project, I focus on the cities of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, and Nashville in the United States. The results suggest that, contrary to expectations, there was no targeting of predominantly black neighborhoods for WMF placement after accounting for other geographic and socioeconomic factors. Instead, a more flexible model reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship, indicating that neighborhoods with mixed racial compositions were most affected by the presence of WMFs. These findings are consistent with the potential existence of blocking coalitions based on race, implying that homogeneous racial neighborhoods could resist the establishment of WMFs. Furthermore, I explore the consequences of WMF introduction on the affected regions. I find a decrease in urban development, measured by a decline in population density, following the construction of WMFs. Additionally, I find evidence of an increase in the share of black population in the areas where WMFs were introduced. These findings are consistent with a white flight from the affected neighborhoods.
Url: https://www.eief.it/eief/images/Mones_Pablo_thesis_2023.pdf
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Authors: Mones, Pablo
Institution: Columbia University
Department: Economics
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Pages: 1-49
Data Collections: IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data
Topics: Housing and Segregation, Population Mobility and Spatial Demography, Race and Ethnicity
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