Hidden spatial inequality & GIS |
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| Ben Marsh Geography and Environmental Studies Bucknell University Contact |
Allan Parnell Ann Joyner Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities © 2009 -10 |
| Uncovering cryptic governmental racial discrimination using GIS This ongoing work by the Cedar Grove research group presents cases where governmental decisions concerning the local political geography have institutionalized racial inequality; the cases are documented with maps created from public GIS data. |
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Local political geographies are the vehicle for discriminatory municipal practices |
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What is 'cryptic discrimination' and how do municipalities come to develop it? |
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GIS helps solve spatial problems by comparing patterns on 'layers' of maps. Patterns of race or ethnicity can be compared to patterns of governmental action, annexation, infrastructure, etc. |
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Underbounding — abuse of annexation rules Underbounding occurs when municipalities annex only up to the edge of minority neighborhoods, thus excluding them from political involvement and government services. |
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Selective annexation preserves majority power Underbounding enables majority-White towns to avoid the "dilution" of White political power by the non-White residents of the real community, as should be defined by the demography in the region. |
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'Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction' Extraterritorial jurisdiction is a tool to project political power over nearby disenfranchised communities |
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Underbounding and infrastructure Underbounding -- failing it incorporate certain parts of the urban fabric into the municipality -- excludes minority neighborhoods from municipal sewer systems and other services |
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Infrastructure can be withheld from minority parts of the communties, with no policy justicfication. |
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Contemporary zoning patterns are often legacies of dramatically racist zoning patterns of the past. |
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Targeted code enforcement is an effective tool to be used by local governments to make life unpleasant for portions of the community whom they disfavor. |
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Inequitable urban redevelopment Redevelopment can be a political tool for the removal of disfavored sub-populations, and for the support of favored constituencies Portsmouth, VA |
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"Good government" rules — that exist to optimize the efficiency of local governments — also make it easy to abuse of the less powerful |
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Additional readings about this work from Cedar Grove |