Thanks! Your question about the nature of Black suburban exodus is a good one and it's worth investigating. My guess would be Black migration to Chicago's suburbs probably outweighs migration out of the metro area by 2:1, perhaps 3:1.
But there's quite a bit of context to consider. Not all Black suburban out-migration is the same; in our metro some families move to demographically diverse-yet-stable suburbs, others move to suburbs undergoing rapid resegregation. I think this is producing different outcomes that's worthy of study. In fact I've been thinking of researching Black suburban growth patterns in major metro areas. Look for that in the near future.
Thoughtful well written piece. How much of the black exodus was to the suburbs? Although that exodus likely worsened the conditions for the residents remaining in those neighborhoods, I assume it helped to lessen segregation at the metro level. A key for this to be a positive would be for those suburbs to remain desirable places to live. This seems to be playing out in Milwaukee where the suburbs with the highest percentage of black residents have been subject to some of the most significant brownfields redevelopment efforts and arguably have become more desirable places even as they’ve grown more diverse.
So what is the answer to an extraordinarily complex centuries old problem of segregation? Seems like many if not most Americans choose to blame the victims, or blame the residents and leaders of the cities like Chicago that are actually trying to do something about the problem. Other Americans chose to elect politicians at the state and federal level who also blame the victims, but offer simple solutions that at best treat some of the symptoms.
Thanks! Your question about the nature of Black suburban exodus is a good one and it's worth investigating. My guess would be Black migration to Chicago's suburbs probably outweighs migration out of the metro area by 2:1, perhaps 3:1.
But there's quite a bit of context to consider. Not all Black suburban out-migration is the same; in our metro some families move to demographically diverse-yet-stable suburbs, others move to suburbs undergoing rapid resegregation. I think this is producing different outcomes that's worthy of study. In fact I've been thinking of researching Black suburban growth patterns in major metro areas. Look for that in the near future.
Thoughtful well written piece. How much of the black exodus was to the suburbs? Although that exodus likely worsened the conditions for the residents remaining in those neighborhoods, I assume it helped to lessen segregation at the metro level. A key for this to be a positive would be for those suburbs to remain desirable places to live. This seems to be playing out in Milwaukee where the suburbs with the highest percentage of black residents have been subject to some of the most significant brownfields redevelopment efforts and arguably have become more desirable places even as they’ve grown more diverse.
So what is the answer to an extraordinarily complex centuries old problem of segregation? Seems like many if not most Americans choose to blame the victims, or blame the residents and leaders of the cities like Chicago that are actually trying to do something about the problem. Other Americans chose to elect politicians at the state and federal level who also blame the victims, but offer simple solutions that at best treat some of the symptoms.