TITLE:
Understanding Poverty Rate Dynamics in Moderately Poor Urban Neighborhoods: A Competitive Perspective
AUTHORS:
Chunhui Ren, Hazel Morrow-Jones
KEYWORDS:
Housing; Community; Minority; Neighborhood; Poverty
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
12,
2014
ABSTRACT: This study introduces a framework to model moderate-to-high poverty
transition in urban neighborhoods using their relative competitive positions
within metropolitan areas. Relative competitive position is measured by a
variety of neighborhood attributes, including resident and neighborhood
characteristics, locational attributes, among others. The model was estimated
using the decennial census, using tracts from 1990 and 2000 as proxies for
neighborhoods. Results indicate that the competitive model works well as a
method to evaluate neighborhood poverty transition. Neighborhoods with
relatively unfavorable competitive positions within a metropolitan area
experience more poverty growth and therefore are likely to have more
concentrated poverty in the future. Based on the results, several
recommendations are made to intervene. These include promoting public transit,
immigrant assimilation programs, among others.