6.10.
1 Challenges of
Urban Changes
Objective and Essential Learning
Explain causes and effects of geographic change within urban
areas.
▪ As urban populations move within a city, economic and social changes result, including: issues
related to housing and housing discrimination such as redlining, blockbusting, and affordability;
access to services; rising crime; environmental injustice; and the growth of disamenity zones or
zones of abandonment.
2
How are urban areas changing?
▪ People of different socioeconomic statuses
▫ Division about important issues
▫ Patterns of poverty or decay
▪ Urban uses are changing - shift from
industrial to services.
▫ Changing tax bases - rising costs to
maintain or update infrastructure
▪ City governments try to respond but have
many competing interests and perspectives
they need to consider.
3
Housing Issues & Discrimination - CAUSES
Redlining: Housing discriminaiton maintained by
banks - starting in the 1930s, refusal to grant
home loans in certain areas because of the ethnic
or racial composition.
▪ Government created program in the 1930s that
identified areas of “poor investment” which were
in neighborhoods that were primarily made up
of African-American residents.
▪ Black buyers were restricted from obtaining
loans to buy or improve homes in those areas -
fell into disrepair, poverty, maintained
4
segregation
Housing Issues & Discrimination - CAUSES
Blockbusing: Housing discimination maintained by real
estate industry - white families were encouraged to
rapidly sell when African-American families moved into
neighborhoods.
▪ Fear-based, white residents were told that property
values would rapidly decrease. So, they sold their
homes quickly and at below-market prices.
▪ Black families were charged higher rates to buy.
▪ Changed the racial composition of neighborhoods,
benefitted the real estate agents making the sale.
5
Housing Issues & Discrimination - CAUSES
Technically, both redlining and blockbusting
were made illegal with the Fair Housing Act of
1968. However, the residential segregation in
cities is still an issue and racial discrimination
has legacies that cities and communities are still
reckoning with today.
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ON THIS 2018 MAP OF
CHICAGO’S RACIAL COMPOSITION?
6
Housing Issues & Discrimination - CAUSES
Affordability: Rising mortgage rates,
expensive home prices, low inventory and
inflation have made it more difficult for the
average American family to afford a home.
▪ US Department for Housing & Urban
Development (HUD) funds low-income
public housing primarily located in cities,
60%. Only 19% in suburbs.
▪ This results in more economic
segregation due to a lack of affordable
home ownership across the country. 7
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Access to Services: Services are more difficult
to access in urban areas with primarily
low-income populations that lack
transportation.
▪ Food Deserts: Location where residents’
access to affordable, healthy food options
(especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is
restricted or nonexistent due to the
absence of grocery stores within
convenient traveling distance.
8
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Results of Food Deserts
▪ Corner stores, gas stations and
fast food restaurants are more
abundant.
▪ Higher prices, low-quality foods
that are unhealthy
▪ Results in health issues such as
diabetes, heart disease and obesity
9
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
▪ Healthy Drinking Water: Lead exposure
through underground lead pipes that deliver
drinking water contaminate water supplies.
▫ Health impacts are mostly observed in
low-income, minority communities.
▫ Lead poisoning can lead to lower IQ,
learning disabilities, increased crime,
irritability, mood disorders,
developmental delays.
▪ Lack of Access to Healthcare
10
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Rising Crime: When people are economically
and racially segregated in urban areas, crime
increases. Factors that impact this include:
▪ Lack of job opportunities
▪ Lack of resources and infrastructure
▪ Desperation and isolation
▪ Criminalization of homelessness and
mental health issues (exacerbated by lack
of access to healthcare services)
11
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Environmental Injustice: Communities of
color and the poor are more likely to be
exposed to environmental burdens such as
air and water pollution.
▪ Manufacturing and waste disposal
▪ Highways and congestion
▪ Use of lead in paint or pipes that supply
water to homes
▪ Prevalence of renters that cannot fix
home issues themselves
▪ Food deserts 12
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Growth of Disamenity Zones : Locations
that are typically physically unsafe with
dangerous terrain that are not
connected to city services.
▪ High crime rates and gang presence
▪ High poverty
▪ Flood-prone
▪ Railines, landfills, or industry Favelas in Brazil - Squatter
▪ Slums or squatter settlements Settlement located in a
disamenity zone
▪ Homelessness
13
Housing Issues & Discrimination - EFFECTS
Growth of Zones of Abandonment: Locations that have been abandoned due to
a lack of jobs, housing opportunities, decline in land values or falling demand.
Cleveland, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Objective and Essential Learning
Explain causes and effects of geographic change within urban
areas.
▪ As urban populations move within a city, economic and social changes result, including: issues
related to housing and housing discrimination such as redlining, blockbusting, and affordability;
access to services; rising crime; environmental injustice; and the growth of disamenity zones or
zones of abandonment.
15
6.10.2 Challenges of
Urban Changes
Objective and Essential Learning
Explain causes and effects of geographic change within urban
areas.
▪ Squatter settlements and conflicts over land tenure within large cities have increased.
▪ Responses to economic and social challenges in urban areas can include inclusionary zoning and local
food movements.
▪ Urban renewal and gentrification have both positive and negative consequences.
▪ Functional and geographic fragmentation of governments - the way government agencies and
institutions are dispersed between state, county, city, and neighborhood levels- presents challenges
in addressing urban issues.
17
Geographic Change in Urban Areas
▪ Squatter Settlements: Residential areas that
are situated on undesirable/ abandoned land
that are built with found materials and not
connected to city services.
▫ Also referred to as slums, favelas, barrios,
etc.
▪ Rapid urbanization has resulted in conflict over
land tenure - the legal rights to land.
▫ Squatters have no legal rights and can be Kibera, located in Kenya - largest
slum in Africa
forcibly evicted by governments.
▫ Results in conflicts and further issues with
homelessness and affordable housing. 18
Responses to Urban Challenges
Inclusionary Zoning: Areas where city governments
require that developers must include low and
medium income housing options in their projects to
obtain building permits.
▪ Effort to provide more affordable housing.
People who are working in urban areas are often
not able to afford to live there due to high prices.
▪ Common in the US and similar programs are
utilized in London; not likely seen in periphery
and semi-periphery locations.
19
Responses to Urban Challenges
Local Food Movements: Using city-owned land or
abandoned areas to plant community, urban
gardens to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to
people living in food deserts.
▪ Residents sometimes are also able to sell and
obtain a profit from urban gardens.
▪ Creates urban green spaces and generates
The Cincinnati Zoo has installed and
community and job growth.
sponsored community gardens in its
surrounding neighborhoods.
▪ Farmer’s Markets: Informal markets in which
farmers bring in fresh food options to sell in
20
urban areas.
Responses to Urban Challenges
Urban Renewal: Programming funded by federal
government grants after WWII intended to
redevelop and modernize blighted, abandoned
and/or industrial urban areas.
After demolition, new housing and infrastructure
such as highways, schools, hospitals and business
developments were built in an effort to improve
urban living conditions.
Cincinnati’s West End, 1958 & 2020
Shows the impacts of urban renewal and the
development of interstate 75. 21
22
Responses to Urban Challenges
Gentrification: The process by which higher income
residents or professional developers buy buildings in
abandoned, blighted and/or industrial areas for a low
cost and renovate, restore or rebuild the property.
▪ Similar intention as urban renewal, however the
developers or residents will oftentimes resell
after “flipping” the property for a higher price
than they paid to purchase.
Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood
Shows the impacts of gentrification done by the 3CDC
development corporation.
23
Responses to Urban Challenges
URBAN RENEWAL & GENTRIFICATION
POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
● Improved housing and increased property ● Displacement of long-time
values and tax revenues. residents of locations which are
typically elderly, minority, and/or
● Attract new business and investors that impoverished people.
stimulate economic growth and jobs.
○ Homelessness, social
● Infrastructure improvements such as tensions
sidewalks, schools, parks, wifi, roads, etc.
● Demolition or alteration of historic
● Rehabilitation of historic buildings - buildings by new businesses - may
maintenance of the city’s cultural landscape. contribute to placelessness and lack
● Decreased crime rates. of community.
24
Responses to Urban Changes
Conflict over Change: Functional and geographic
fragmentation of governments - such as the dispersal
between state, county, city, and local governments
present challenges in addressing urban issues.
▪ School boards, local residents, developers,
neighborhood groups, etc. also have opinions on
addressing urban challenges and making
change as well.
▪ Hard to make changes when there are too many
FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium was built in the West
perspectives and overlapping government End neighborhood in which there are historic issues
jurisdictions. with redevelopment and displacement.
25
Objective and Essential Learning
Explain causes and effects of geographic change within urban
areas.
▪ Squatter settlements and conflicts over land tenure within large cities have increased.
▪ Responses to economic and social challenges in urban areas can include inclusionary zoning and local
food movements.
▪ Urban renewal and gentrification have both positive and negative consequences.
▪ Functional and geographic fragmentation of governments - the way government agencies and
institutions are dispersed between state, county, city, and neighborhood levels- presents challenges
in addressing urban issues.
26
