Why are American cities and suburbs so racially and economically segregated? What are the consequences of living apart? This class delves into these questions by focusing on how space and place have come to play an integral role in shaping poverty and inequality in the U.S. In the first half of class we critically examine how housing policy and economic dislocation contributed to spaces of concentrated poverty in U.S. cities. We will learn how neighborhoods work as mechanisms that shape the quality of life and life chances of individuals. We will explore how these processes have changed and/or stayed the same in an era of suburbanizing poverty and urban gentrification and question whether integration is the answer. In the second half of the course we will turn to an examination of the consequences of segregation, focusing on people and places in poverty. Specifically we will investigate how inequality across space shapes and is shaped by education and schooling, transportation, crime, policing and surveillance, networks, and meaning making. How does all this matter for our children? We answer this question by examining how the advantages and disadvantages of where we live get passed down through generations. Finally, we end the course probing the possibilities for change. Should we move people out of poor neighborhoods or invest in poor neighborhoods? How do and can communities make change from within via organizations, governance, politics, and collective action? Though our focus will largely be on African American communities in poverty, when possible, we will draw comparisons with other racial, ethnic, and economic groups.

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