Profiles and Perspectives of Housing Quality of Blacks in Selected Southern Metropolitan Cities

Abstract

AbstractThis article reassesses the factors that have been identified as influencing housing quality disparities and profiles recent housing conditions of Blacks as compared to Whites in selected cities in the South Census Region of the United States, using a national data set. The intended result is to promote further research and debate in an area that has received less attention in recent years, in view of the fact that 1990 Census data show African Americans still ranking below Whites on nearly every measure of socioeconomic status (O’Hare, Pollard, Mann, & Kent, 1991).Much of the research has focused on differences in housing quality for Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites, and has attempted to measure and explain these differences. A number of factors have been identified as contributing to the persistent disparities in housing quality. These factors include location, income levels, household composition, tenure type, race, and past and present discrimination that constrains housing choices. This study us...