Residential Desegregation Potential

Abstract

Abstract Assuming that desegregation is a desirable long-range goal, this paper examines the potential for reasonable progress toward that goal, using data from eleven of the twelve largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. First, a Negro working-class income group is identified as possible candidates for desegregation. Second, suburban housing costs are compared with the ability of ghetto residents to pay. Although present new suburban housing is too expensive for most working-class Negroes, neither costs of existing housing nor current income levels appear as significant restrictions on Negro suburbanization. Furthermore, existing federal housing aids can facilitate construction of suburban low and moderate income housing. Given commitment to use of existing tools, a substantial amount of desegregation can now occur within the existing suburban housing supply.