Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

[Slimprofits]

This is the original, Chicago by Bill Rankin:

http://www.radicalcartography.net/in...ml?chicagodots

Any city-dweller knows that most neighborhoods don't have stark boundaries. Yet on maps, neighborhoods are almost always drawn as perfectly bounded areas, miniature territorial states of ethnicity or class. This is especially true for Chicago, where the delimitation of Chicago's official “community areas” in the 1920s was one of the hallmarks of the famous Chicago School of urban sociology. And maps showing perfectly homogeneous neighborhoods are still published today, in both popular and academic contexts alike.

My alternative is to use dot mapping to show three kinds of urban transitions. First, there are indeed areas where changes take place at very precise boundaries — such as between Lawndale and the Little Village, or Austin and Oak Park — and Chicago has more of these stark borders than most cities in the world. But transitions also take place through gradients and gaps as well, especially in the northwest and southeast. Using graphic conventions which allow these other possibilities to appear takes much more data, and requires more nuance in the way we talk about urban geography, but a cartography without boundaries can also make simplistic policy or urban design more difficult — in a good way.

This project was originally published as an essay in the Spring 2010 issue of Perspecta, the journal of the Yale School of Architecture.

*****

40 cities by Eric Fischer on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walking...4967/lightbox/

[Minion]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

That is great. Funny how the liberals want diversity but if you look at their cities, it's quite segregated. Alabama, all its history notwithstanding, was the least racially tense place I've ever been - probably because they all have the same religion which values peace and forgiveness over perceptions of superiority. It would be interesting to see a similar study based on religions affiliation, but that might offend someone.

[BigBagel]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

That is great. Funny how the liberals want diversity but if you look at their cities, it's quite segregated. Alabama, all its history notwithstanding, was the least racially tense place I've ever been - probably because they all have the same religion which values peace and forgiveness over perceptions of superiority. It would be interesting to see a similar study based on religions affiliation, but that might offend someone.

I can only guess your referring to Jews. In other words Alabama has less racial tension due to the absence of Jews. Please tell me I'm mistaken.

[seanm123]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Least racial tension in Alabama? Short memory perhaps?

Selma to Montgomery marches? 1965 was not that long ago.

015-CivilRights.jpg

[flintlock]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

I can only guess your referring to Jews. In other words Alabama has less racial tension due to the absence of Jews. Please tell me I'm mistaken.

Really? You are going to stretch the reference to "Liberals" to only mean Jews?

[BigBagel]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Really? You are going to stretch the reference to "Liberals" to only mean Jews?

Not liberals, I was referring to the same religion stuff. Jews? Catholics? It can't be Muslims since there arrivals in any numbers is more recent. The Northeast is heavily Jewish and Catholic as opposed to the Deep South being more protestant. I'm assuming that's what he's referring to. Beyond that I doubt that Alabama is a racial harmony paradise and if it is it's not due to the smaller presence of non-protestant Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists..

[Minion]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Talking about 2010, gentlemen. Negroes and Anglos get along fine in this day and age in that God fearing state. The fire burned out decades ago. Not true for atheist, Democratic inner cities.....

[Minion]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

I can only guess your referring to Jews. In other words Alabama has less racial tension due to the absence of Jews. Please tell me I'm mistaken.

I didn't meet any Jews when I was there. The prevailing religion is the one bearing the cross and steeple, with origins in Rome and Babylon. People there accept its premise that forgiveness is the greatest virtue. Blacks and whites do not openly hate each other like in Portland, Los Angeles, ......

Just one man's opinion, and probably not very popular....

[flintlock]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Well I didn't take it to mean a slam against Jews, rather it mirrored my views growing up in the South. While maybe not the best of friends, Blacks and Whites in my semi rural area got along for the most part. Somewhat bound together by their Judeo-Christian beliefs.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/030..._03_30_04.php3

The outsiders view that we were all KKK running amok is just another example of how the press can distort things. That's ancient history. Yet the stereotype remains. I am constantly amazed at how many Northerner friends moved down here with wild notions of what the South was like. One example. Tony is from NY city. He actually thought we were driving around on dirt roads like the Dukes of Hazard. Now he loves Georgia and always tells me how nice the people are compared to NY. Most people I know from other parts of the country love it here. There is a reason it has been one of the fastest growing areas for decades.


There are parts of most major cities in the US you don't walk through at night if you are of a different race. Period. In my small town you could walk anywhere. Still can. The contrast of rural areas with the current urban liberal worship of "Diversity", where you throw together people of different cultures and values and expect them to get along fabulously, was the point Minion was trying to make I think.

[hayekvindicated]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Well I didn't take it to mean a slam against Jews, rather it mirrored my views growing up in the South. While maybe not the best of friends, Blacks and Whites in my semi rural area got along for the most part. Somewhat bound together by their Judeo-Christian beliefs.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/030..._03_30_04.php3

The outsiders view that we were all KKK running amok is just another example of how the press can distort things. That's ancient history. Yet the stereotype remains.


There are parts of most major cities in the US you don't walk through at night if you are of a different race. Period. In my small town you could walk anywhere. Still can. The contrast with the current urban liberal worship of "Diversity", where you throw together people of different cultures and values and expect them to get along fabulously, was the point Minion was trying to make I think.

Thomas Sowell wrote some time ago that most northern and mid-western US cities are more segregated now than they were before the Civil Rights era. That is astounding if true.

[flintlock]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

I was watching a show on US prisons the other day. Seems that prisons are almost 100% segregated. Once you walk in the prison door, you are basically forced to join your race's "gang" for survival. Gang members of the same race that fought bloody battles with each other on the street unite together once in prison. They put aside gang conflict temporarily. People naturally gravitate towards their own race. I doubt that will ever completely go away. I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing. Unless it's at the expense of tolerance of others. Wanting to live among people with similar values, culture, etc seems only natural. Much as rich people don't want to live next to poor people, and vice versa. People fear the unknown. A rich guy knows what to expect when he moves into a wealthy neighborhood. The yards will be maintained. His kids will play with kids that have similar education level, etc. . People naturally don't like change or anything too different from what they are used to. Human nature.

[hayekvindicated]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

I was watching a show on US prisons the other day. Seems that prisons are almost 100% segregated. Once you walk in the prison door, you are basically forced to join your race's "gang" for survival. Gang members of the same race that fought bloody battles with each other on the street unite together once in prison. They put aside gang conflict temporarily. People naturally gravitate towards their own race. I doubt that will ever completely go away. I don't necessarily see it as a bad thing. Unless it's at the expense of tolerance of others. Wanting to live among people with similar values, culture, etc seems only natural. Much as rich people don't want to live next to poor people, and vice versa. People fear the unknown. A rich guy knows what to expect when he moves into a wealthy neighborhood. The yards will be maintained. His kids will play with kids that have similar education level, etc. . People naturally don't like change or anything too different from what they are used to. Human nature.

I had an interesting experience in Singapore during my last visit. Race relations in Singapore were horrendous at the time of its independence in 1965. There were daily race riots between the Chinese, Malayas and Indians. Lee Kuan Yew essentially announced that anyone inciting a race riot will, regardless of race, be thrown behind bars and they will throw away the keys. You will be imprisoned forever.

He also forced the three races to live with each other in the allotment of public housing. This forced "integration" has worked somewhat although there is no doubt that race animosity remains. My Indian friends (who work for large transnational companies) told me that they would never be able to rent any luxury flats in the nicer developments in Singapore if they tried to rent themselves. A Chinese landlord will not rent his flat to an Indian tenant no matter how well off the tenant is. So essentially the companies rent the flat and then let the employees live in it.

Singapore's solutions (forced integration - much more extreme than anything tried in the West) only work in a country which is basically a dictatorship. Harder to do it in a democracy.

[flintlock]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Exactly. I think the maps show that, given free will, races will tend to live in groups.

Things are changing. I was asking my 8 year old girl if she had made any new friends at her new school. She had made two. Both Indian. The kids, they aren't aware of all these differences, they just want to have a good time!

[Starving Steve]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

I have never lived in the South, and I don't think that I would ever want to. I am not in love with religion, of any kind.

I don't like "In God We Trust" on American coins, nor English-only in the K-12 public schools, nor nationalism, nor flag-waving, nor flag-salutes, nor the Republican Party. So I wouldn't fit-in to the South. A church on every block throughout much of the South is a dead give-away of what that region is all about.

And then I don't like Southern cops, speed limits, gun-toting, hillbillies, hicks, guitars, country music, drug war, prisons, chain-gangs, death rows, executions, hot springs, hot summers, hot falls, hot nights, hot-tempers, hot-heads, rattlesnakes, Southern attitudes, backlash, hatred of liberals, hatred of immigrants, hatred of foreign lands, hatred of new-comers, hatred of migrants, suspicion of Jews, suspicion of non-Christians, suspicion of Muslims, suspicion of atheists, suspicion of minorities, fear of change, on and on...... So, I stay-out of the South. Why deal with that region?

But things are changing in the South. The drug gangs from California are expanding their territory and moving into the South. Los Surenos (the X3 gang) now runs the drug-trade in Atlanta and other cities in Georgia. And Alabama: you are next for the X3 gang...... Wait until you get a taste of the gangsters! God help you all.

[chr5648]

Re: Maps of Racial and Ethnic divides in 40 cities in the U.S. ~ Racial Cartography

Exactly. I think the maps show that, given free will, races will tend to live in groups.

Things are changing. I was asking my 8 year old girl if she had made any new friends at her new school. She had made two. Both Indian. The kids, they aren't aware of all these differences, they just want to have a good time!

Yes, and children also believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.