arXiv subjects

Elizabeth Roberto

Publications and source records attributed to Elizabeth Roberto.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2015

The Spatial Proximity and Connectivity (SPC) Method for Measuring and Analyzing Residential Segregation

In recent years, there has been increasing attention to the spatial dimensions of residential segregation, such as the spatial arrangement of segregated neighborhoods and the geographic scale or relative size of segregated areas. However, the methods used to measure segregation do not incorporate features of the built environment, such as the road connectivity between locations or the physical barriers that divide groups. This article introduces the Spatial Proximity and Connectivity (SPC) method for measuring and analyzing segregation. The SPC method addresses the limitations of current approaches by taking into account how the physical structure of the built environment affects the proximity and connectivity of locations. In this article, I describe the method and its application for studying segregation and spatial inequality more broadly. I demonstrate one such application-analyzing the impact of physical barriers on residential segregation-with a stylized example and an empirical analysis of racial segregation in Pittsburgh, PA. The SPC method contributes to scholarship on residential segregation by capturing the effect of an important yet understudied mechanism of segregation-the connectivity, or physical barriers, between locations-on the level and spatial pattern of segregation, and enables further consideration of the role of the built environment in segregation processes.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2015

Barriers to Integration: Physical Boundaries and the Spatial Structure of Residential Segregation

Despite modest declines in residential segregation levels since the Civil Rights Era, segregation remains a defining feature of the U.S. landscape. This study highlights the importance of considering physical barriers--features of the urban environment that disconnect locations--when measuring segregation. We use population and geographic data for 20 U.S. Rustbelt cities from the 2010 decennial census and a novel approach for measuring and analyzing segregation that incorporates the connectivity of roads and the excess distance imposed by physical barriers, such as highways, railroad tracks, and dead-end streets. We find that physical barriers divide urban space in ways that reinforce or exacerbate segregation, but there is substantial variation in the extent to which they increase segregation both within and across these cities and for different ethnoracial groups. By uncovering a new source of variation in the segregation experienced by city residents, the findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the persistence of segregation and the consequences of segregation.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2015

The Divergence Index: A Decomposable Measure of Segregation and Inequality

Decomposition analysis is a critical tool for understanding the social and spatial dimensions of segregation and diversity. In this paper, I highlight the conceptual, mathematical, and empirical distinctions between segregation and diversity and introduce the Divergence Index as a decomposable measure of segregation. Scholars have turned to the Information Theory Index as the best alternative to the Dissimilarity Index in decomposition studies, however it measures diversity rather than segregation. I demonstrate the importance of preserving this conceptual distinction with a decomposition analysis of segregation and diversity in U.S. metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2010, which shows that the Information Theory Index has tended to decrease, particularly within cities, while the Divergence Index has tended to increase, particularly within suburbs. Rather than being a substitute for measures of diversity, the Divergence Index complements existing measures by enabling the analysis and decomposition of segregation alongside diversity.

stat.ME↗