Low Status Neighborhoods Research Articles

Unequal access to childcare in cities: Is equal public funding sufficient?

This article examines inequalities in the spatial accessibility of childcare between high- and low-status neighbourhoods in the city of Vienna and asks (i) whether specific public and non-profit provider types contribute to these inequalities and (ii) which factors may cause these inequalities in a mainly tax-funded childcare system. For our analysis, we combine data on the location and characteristics of childcare providers with spatially granular information on demand and neighbourhood characteristics. The results show that two provider types – church-related and independent non-profit providers – are mainly responsible for the higher accessibility of childcare in neighbourhoods with higher socio-economic status. Specifically independent providers charge significantly higher prices and offer more special services in these high-status areas. Public funding of a large part of the production costs, therefore, seems insufficient to ensure equal access in all neighbourhoods. These findings suggest that the exclusive comparison between public, private non-profit and private for-profit providers often found in the literature may be too narrow.

Sport club dropout under COVID-19 in the Netherlands: do characteristics of the neighbourhood matter?

Sport is considered important to mitigate social and health problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic and thus contributes to a resilient society. Because of poverty, caring responsibilities, social isolation and/or health issues, caused or reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, (too) high thresholds may be experienced lowering sports club participation. In this article, we study dropout from sports club membership among the Dutch population in COVID times and relate it to neighbourhood characteristics to determine whether inequality in sports behaviour is increasing or decreasing. Specifically, we analyse changes in the association to sport clubs by utilizing membership register data of the National Sport Federation in the Netherlands (NOC*NSF). This longitudinal information on 3.6 million club members in 2019 within Dutch sport federations was used to analyse developments at the individual level between 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2021. Based on register information on the area of residence of sporters, neighbourhood characteristics were added to these individual membership data. Our results display that the socioeconomic status of a member's neighbourhood and the sport infrastructure in this neighbourhood impacts the likelihood of dropping out of a sport club of both youths and adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dropout among members is lower in higher socioeconomic status neighbourhoods and in neighbourhoods with abundant sport facilities. Remarkably, the impact of these living environment features seems higher for youth than for adults. To conclude, our study enhances a further understanding of inequalities in sport club membership dropout during COVID-19. First, it may inform policy makers to intensify sport promotion policies and to especially support sport clubs in lower status neighbourhoods. Second, given the relatively high dropout rates during the COVID-19 pandemic particular attention for retention seems necessary.

Abstract PO-273: Spatial and descriptive analysis of smoke and vape shop locations focusing on a cancer center neighboring catchment area

Abstract Background: Tobacco products cause about 1 in 5 deaths premature deaths each year. §Cancer patient survival increases approximately 30% with effective tobacco cessation intervention. Tobacco use post cancer can disrupt treatment plans including surgery delay, negatively affect treatment response, and the benefits of quitting are well-documented including accelerated healing and improved quality of life and well-being.Racial and ethnic minorities are adversely targeted by tobacco industry resulting in high tobacco use and tobacco related disease burden. With increased retailing of both tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products, cancer centers such as City of Hope are prioritizing tobacco and ENDS control. Method: The cancer center expanded the current cessation program by: 1. Building a robust Patient EHR Tobacco Registry capturing tobacco use/exposure of cancer patients; 2. Establishing sustainable IT facilitated clinical workflow for timely and comprehensive tobacco use assessment with accompanying cessation intervention for both high-risk recent quitters and current tobacco users and facilitate basic, behavioral and clinical studies. We conducted formative geospatial analyses of dedicated smoke and vape shops linked to neighborhood demographic characteristics. The objective of the study was to analyze local data on smoke and vaping shop locations by age, socio-economic status, and racial/ethnic group. Our geospatial analysis used aggregate data from the U.S. Census, Google Maps, and Yelp. Geospatial maps were created using ArcGIS Pro with American Community Survey and U.S. Census 2010. The distributions of exclusive tobacco and vaping shop locations data were overlaid with data from the U.S. Census 2010 to generate maps of the relative geographic distributions of shops across varying area demographic characteristics. Results: In the COH network that includes community clinical sites, there are variations in tobacco use by geographic regions showed that a higher concentration of exclusive smoke and vaping shops were in areas with a higher concentration of ethnic minorities and lower income and lower status neighborhoods. Conclusion: Tobacco use is influenced by societal determinants of health (SDH) with minoritized populations having greater exposure to tobacco products that brings greater smoking rates. Tobacco cessation is a quality care issue, and a health equity and justice issue. Allocations of resources must account for the metrics of tobacco use and be responsive to both patient characteristics and community factors. Tobacco control services and research for cancer patients ought to be conducted in partnership with cancer care team. A multidisciplinary research can provide multilevel data accounting for the intersection of SDH and community level factors (e.g. density of tobacco retail, environmental exposure) with biological factors. Cancer Centers' sustainable tobacco control must involve community engagement, team science, clinical and care coordination and policy action Citation Format: Kimlin Ashing, Cary Presant, Sophia Yeung, Jonjon Macalintal, Brian Tiep, Argelia Sandoval, Dan Raz, Ravi Salgia, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, Arya Amini, Amar Merla, Heather Graves, Steven Rosen. Spatial and descriptive analysis of smoke and vape shop locations focusing on a cancer center neighboring catchment area [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-273.

Spatial and Descriptive Analysis of Smoke and Vape Shop Locations Focusing on a Cancer Center Neighboring Catchment Area

Tobacco products cause about 1 in 5 deaths premature deaths each year. With increased retailing of both tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products, cancer centers such as City of Hope are prioritizing tobacco and ENDS control. Therefore, we conducted formative geospatial analyses of dedicated smoke and vape shops linked to neighborhood demographic characteristics. The objective of the study was to analyze local data on smoke and vaping shop locations by age, socio-economic status, and racial/ethnic group. Our geospatial analysis used aggregate data from the U.S. Census, Google Maps, and Yelp. Geospatial maps were created using ArcGIS Pro with American Community Survey and U.S. Census 2010. The distributions of exclusive tobacco and vaping shop locations data were overlaid with data from the U.S. Census 2010 to generate maps of the relative geographic distributions of shops across varying area demographic characteristics. Results showed that a higher concentration of exclusive smoke and vaping shops were in areas with a higher concentration of ethnic minorities and lower income and lower status neighborhoods. These findings suggest that laws and licensing should be evaluated to regulate the placement of these shops to reduce and even prevent targeting of minorities and other vulnerable populations.

Access to urban green spaces and environmental inequality in post-socialist cities

Access to urban green spaces and environmental inequalities are increasingly on the agenda in contemporary cities due to increasing density of people, widening social inequalities, and limited access to Urban Green Spaces (UGS). This is even so in post-socialist cities where recent urban sprawl and suburbanisation could be strongly linked to the scarcity of adequate green spaces in the inner-parts of cities. This paper examines the provision and accessibility of public green spaces in Debrecen, a second tier city in post-socialist Hungary, with applying a walking distance approach. Using GIS technology and socio-demographic data of residents the study assesses the availability and accessibility of green spaces in the city, and their social equity. According to research results the geographical distribution of UGS is very uneven in the city, some neighbourhoods lack public green spaces, while others are well-supplied. This is partly due to the natural environment and the post-WWII development of the city. Research findings show that the quality of residential green spaces is generally poor or very poor. Research also confirmed the widening environmental inequalities within the local society. New upmarket residential areas, where the wealthiest section of population reside are rich in high-quality (private) green spaces. Other lower-status neighbourhoods, including some of the socialist housing estates, suffer from the lack of good quality green spaces. Authors argue that environmental justice should be a core concept of city-planning considering not only the officially designated public green spaces, but also other forms of urban green (institutional, private etc.).

School Choice and the Polarization of Public Schools in A Global City: A Bourdieusian GIS Approach

ABSTRACT Over the past three decades, urban sociologists have shed light on the intensifying social inequality between the wealthiest and poorest neighborhoods in global cities; yet limited research has been done to illuminate the relationships between urban polarization and school choice (i.e., where parents choose schools for their children). This study sociospatially examines the patterns of secondary school choice in the global city of Toronto to illuminate the relationship between urban polarization and school choice. In doing so, this study combines Pierre Bourdieu’s sociospatial theory with a geographic information systems (GIS) approach. Overall, we found that popular schools and schools with specialized choice programs tend to be located in high-status neighborhoods, defined as neighborhoods with residents in the top 20% of family income, home prices, education attainment, and representation from the dominant culture. We also show that mobile students who choose popular schools or highly sought-after specialized programs tend to come from advantaged neighborhoods. Meanwhile, local students who choose a regular school in their neighborhood tend to come from low-status neighborhoods. With a new interdisciplinary approach, this study contributes to a more spatialized understanding of how social inequality and polarization account for school choice.

The age dimensions of urban socio‐spatial change

AbstractContemporary societal transformations are marked by particular age dynamics and shifting fault lines between generations. Growing socio‐economic divides between young and old have been singled out as a key concern, for example, on the housing market. However, age is not very often explicitly integrated into analyses of urban socio‐spatial inequality. This paper makes an effort to do so, drawing on the case study of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Results highlight how age factors into urban socio‐spatial change. First, by placing age centre stage, it shows how aggregate urban upgrading comes about. Some age groups—those in their midthirties and over sixty—drive urban upgrading, whereas the 50‐to‐60 age group has become poorer, dampening upgrading. Second, geographies of affluence and poverty differ substantially between age groups. Whereas affluent elderly concentrate in the most privileged areas, and increasingly so, younger generations move to neighbourhoods lower on the urban hierarchy. Third, at any one point, multiple generations are involved in driving neighbourhood gentrification. Affluent elderly drive further gentrification in already affluent areas, wheras younger adults do so in lower status neighbourhoods.

The Impact of Neighborhood Status on Imprisonment for Firearm Offenses

Burgeoning research on criminal case processing has revealed persistent effects of the race and ethnicity of defendants on case outcomes up to and including imprisonment. But prior studies have devoted relatively little attention to how the characteristics of the communities in which crimes are committed affect imprisonment and antecedent legal outcomes such as bail amount and pretrial detention. Guided by the group threat and focal concerns perspectives, the current study examines the impact of community racial and socioeconomic composition on the likelihood that African American male defendants are sentenced to prison rather than probation for firearm offenses in a large Midwestern city. We find that defendants arrested in neighborhoods with higher proportions of non-poor residents received higher bail and, in turn, spent more time in jail and were more likely to be sentenced to prison than those arrested in lower status neighborhoods. We find no significant effect of neighborhood racial composition on bail, pretrial confinement, or imprisonment. We recommend that the community context of crime receive high priority in future research on the impact of extralegal factors on imprisonment.

SINGLE AND AGGREGATE SALIVARY CORTISOL MEASURES IN WORKING WOMEN LIVING IN HIGH AND LOW STATUS NEIGHBORHOODS IN SWEDEN.

Contextual factors including neighborhood status have consistently been associated with health disparities. This may relate to a poorer neighborhood status involving an exposure to chronic stressors, which dysregulates cortisol secretion. This study investigated single and aggregate cortisol measures in 88 working women living in high and low status neighborhoods. Results showed significantly lower waking cortisol among women in low status neighborhoods. However, there were no group differences in aggregate cortisol measures. The lower morning cortisol among women in the low status neighborhoods follows previous research suggesting hypocortisolism as a pathway linking neighborhood status and health disparities, albeit a less consistent finding across cortisol measures in this sample. This may relate to the Swedish welfare state and its fostering of equality.

Urban green areas and their potential for social interaction – A case study of a socio-economically mixed neighbourhood in Santiago de Chile

Green spaces play a key role in the social activities of those who carry the potential for spatial interaction. In the Metropolitan Area of Santiago de Chile, the increase in housing construction for higher socio-economic strata in low-status neighbourhoods has led in part to a new socio-spatial mix. Whether this trend of socially more diverse neighbourhoods opens up opportunities for spatial contacts is the subject of an emerging debate. Focussing on urban green spaces, this paper provides empirical evidence for use patterns that make spatial interaction between different social groups possible.The analysis and its interpretation combine ecological and socio-economic variables. The results show that in terms of frequency and type of use of green spaces both similar and dissimilar patterns prevail and that distance is not the decisive factor. As a policy recommendation, standard of green spaces should be upgraded, notably in neighbourhoods with residents from different income groups in order to enhance the opportunities of spatial interaction.

The effects of socioeconomic incongruity in the neighbourhood on social support, self-esteem and mental health in England

Analyses of neighbourhood socioeconomic characteristics and health indicators consistently show that health is worse in poorer neighbourhoods. However, some studies that examined neighbourhood effects separately for individuals of different socioeconomic position found that poor people may derive health benefits from living in poor neighbourhoods where they are socioeconomically congruous. This study investigates whether such patterns may be driven by psychosocial factors. The sample consisted of 4871 mothers in the Millennium Cohort Study aged 14–53. The outcomes analysed were neighbourhood friendship, emotional support, self-esteem and depression or anxiety. Neighbourhood status was classified by residents' educational and occupational status derived from the 2001 Census. We used multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for mothers' socio-demographic characteristics: first analysing health by neighbourhood status separately for the highest and lowest status mothers, then testing for modification in the association between neighbourhood status and health, by individual status. Results show that for highest status mothers, living in mixed or high status neighbourhoods compared to low status neighbourhoods significantly reduced the odds of having no friends in the neighbourhood by 65%. Living in high status neighbourhoods compared to low status neighbourhoods also significantly reduced the odds of depression or anxiety for highest status mothers by 41%. No associations were found for emotional support or self-esteem amongst highest status mothers. No associations were found for any outcome among lowest status mothers. In conclusion, low status mothers in England did not have better social support, self-esteem, or mental health when living in low status neighbourhoods compared to high status neighbourhoods; any benefits of socioeconomic congruity may have been counteracted by neighbourhood deprivation. Nevertheless, we found that mothers of high status do have significantly better neighbourhood friendship and mental health when living in socioeconomic congruity within neighbourhoods. Whether these associations are causal or are another reflection of material advantage remains unclear.

Positive or negative ethnic encounters in urban neighbourhoods? A photo experiment on the net impact of ethnicity and neighbourhood context on attitudes towards minority and majority residents

Using data from a new factorial survey experiment, we study the mechanisms that drive negative interethnic attitudes in urban neighbourhood encounters. Specifically, we examine the extent to which the general impression made by a resident depends on the ethnicity of that resident and on the aspects of the neighbourhood environment. Majority and minority respondents in the Netherlands judged pictures and descriptions of fictitious neighbourhood residents, in which the ethnicity of the resident varied independently of other resident characteristics (i.e., work status, religion and problem behaviour) and the neighbourhood environment (i.e., physical disorder and ethnic and socioeconomic composition). We show that outcomes depend largely on the ethnicity of the respondent who experiences the encounters. For majority respondents, we find a main net effect of resident ethnicity: native Dutch are less positive about Surinamese residents. Furthermore, we find some support for the normative fit hypothesis that states that minority respondents are less positively evaluated in stereotype-consistent neighbourhood environments: native Dutch are less positive about Moroccan residents encountered in low-status neighbourhoods.

Migration and public health: Health in Sweden: The National Public Health Report 2012. Chapter 13

Summary In an increasingly globalized world more people have the possibility to settle in a country other than the one in which they were born. To the new country migrants bring their lifestyle and other important risk factors and protective factors for health. If the immigrants are refugees, a period of uncertainty awaits them before their life in a new country can begin. As newcomers to Swedish society, they often end up in low-status neighborhoods, are reduced to heavy and low-wage jobs and often also continue to be socially vulnerable as a result of discrimination. Immigrants in Sweden of non-European background report three to four times as often as Swedishborn people that they suffer from poor or very poor health. Male immigrants smoke more than Swedishborn men, while alcohol-related diseases are less common among many immigrant groups. The incidence of a number of specific public health problems, such as allergic diseases and diabetes, varies widely across different immigrant groups. The particular background of refugees makes them especially susceptible to psychiatric morbidity, a susceptibility that is further increased by the stresses that occur during the asylum process. Adult undocumented migrants and asylum seekers have limited access to health and medical care in Sweden.

Roles of neighborhood race and status in the middle stages of juror selection

This study investigated impacts of neighborhood race, status, and stability on the likelihood that summoned citizens would appear at the courthouse for jury duty using a full year of geocoded summoning data from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (n = 256,204). A theoretical model based on jury selection models and the sociology of settlement patterns connected potential juror yield or turnout with neighborhood stability, and racial and status composition. Multilevel models using census block groups as neighborhoods and controlling for spatial autocorrelation found, as predicted, that yield varied significantly across neighborhoods, and was lower in lower status neighborhoods, less stable neighborhoods, more predominantly Asian neighborhoods, and more predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. As predicted by work on neighborhood integration, effects of African–American racial composition depended on the stage of neighborhood integration. Overall, the net effect of increasing African–American neighborhood racial composition was to increase yield. A significant spatial lag effect suggested localized dynamics operating beyond neighborhood boundaries.

Discrepancies between personal income and neighbourhood status: effects on physical and mental health.

During their life course, older persons' income level may become discrepant with the socio-economic status of their neighbourhood. This study examines whether and how such discrepancies affect older persons' physical and mental health. Using baseline data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, 2,540 non-institutionalised persons aged 55-85years were classified based on self-reported income and neighbourhood status. Two categories defined discrepancies: discrepant-low (DL, low income in high-status neighbourhood), and discrepant-high (DH, high income in low-status neighbourhood). Both categories were compared with the same reference category: matched-high (MH, high personal and high neighbourhood income status). A range of health indicators were examined, as well as mediating effects of neighbourhood and individual characteristics. Among the 504 persons who reported a high income, 16% lived in a low-status neighbourhood (DH). Conversely, among the 757 persons living in a high-status neighbourhood, 24% had a low income (DL). The DL category mainly lived in rural areas, and the DH category predominantly in large cities. The data show discrepant income effects (DL vs. MH) on physical and cognitive ability, self-rated health, and loneliness, and discrepant neighbourhood effects (DH vs. MH) on physical and cognitive ability, depressive symptoms, and loneliness. Personal income effects were partly mediated by other personal characteristics, and neighbourhood effects were fully mediated by socio-economic neighbourhood characteristics as well as by older persons' perceptions of their neighbourhood and their income. It is concluded that discrepancies between personal income and neighbourhood status, accrued throughout the life course, are associated with poor health.

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Changing Inequality Of Individual, Household And Regional Inequality In Australian Cities

The changes in neighbourhood income inequality noted in Gregory and Hunter (1995) indicate that significant changes in the nature of Australian cities have occurred since the mid-1970s. This paper seeks to establish that the regional dimension of income inequality is becoming a more important component of overall inequality. Furthermore, low status and high status areas are becoming increasingly homogenous with more low income households living together in low status neighbourhoods and higher income households living elsewhere. The inadequacies of the regional income data currently available means that it is difficult to explore changes in social welfare in any detail.

Restructuring and women's reproductive health: Implications for low birthweight in New York city

Women's health is influenced not only by behavior and culture, but also by the social, economic and political contexts in which women live. We examine the changing context of women's reproductive health in New York City through an analysis of spatial and temporal trends in low birthweight during the late 1970s and 1980s. Using cartographic and statistical methods, the impacts of political and economic restructuring on women's lives and the linkages with changing patterns of women's reproductive health are addressed. The results show that in the city's low status neighborhoods, increases in low birthweight were related to the decline in women's ability to find paid employment, their decreased utilization of prenatal care, and an increased share of households headed by women. The shifting geographical patterns of reproductive health reflect, in part, women's heightened responsibilities in an era of shrinking resources.

Public preferences and site location of residential treatment facilities

The present study examined the relationship between community preferences toward five particular client populations and the location of residential facilities serving these groups. It was hypothesized that residences serving less popular groups (e.g., ex-convicts) would be located in lower status neighborhoods, as measured by census tract variables. Using a multiple linear regression approach, we found that the type of clientele served was the best predictor of location status. Subsequent analyses showed that the predictive power of client type was strongest in the most populous SMSAs. After examining several alternative explanations, we suggested that differential community opposition to the five client groups served might explain the geographical pattern found. Several social consequences of this ecology were discussed.

Heat and Violence: New Findings from Dallas Field Data, 1980–19811

Research in both laboratory and field settings has suggested a link between thermal stress and violent behavior, and both linear and curvilinear models have been investigated. A dearth of field studies prompted the analysis reported here, which is based on data for some 10,000 aggravated assaults occurring the City of Dallas in 1980 (a summer of severe heat stress) and 1981. This analysis replicates and extends certain aspects of recent work by Anderson and Anderson (1984) relating to the so‐called linear and curvilinear hypotheses. Thermal stress is measured in two ways: a Discomfort Index (DI), which takes into account the influence of humidity acting in concert with temperature, and ambient temperature. Regression analyses were performed in two stages. In the first, data for all neighborhoods and all days of the study period were combined into ambient temperature and DI models. At the second stage, models differentiated between the three levels of neighborhood socioeconomic status. With weekend controlled, DI and ambient temperature were significant independent variables in the ‘overall’ model and in medium and low status neighborhoods. However, when linear effects were controlled, the curvilinear measures were never significant. The analysis generally tended to confirm Anderson and Anderson's suggestion that a reduction of aggression with increasing temperature does not appear to occur within the normal range of temperatures. This analysis further suggested that the hypothesized curvilinear effect is weak, if not entirely absent, even during conditions of extreme heat.

Seasonality and Assault: Explorations in Inter-Neighborhood Variation, Dallas 1980

Abstract Relations between human beings and the physical environment have been the foci of research and speculation for at least two millennia. One such focus has dealt with the relationships between climate and crime. This paper develops four hypotheses concerning the interaction between violent behavior and the thermal environment. These hypotheses relate to the structural density of local areas, alcohol consumption across the city, calendar effects, and neighborhood context. We developed a taxonomy of high-, medium-, and low-status residential areas (“neighborhoods”) in Dallas, Texas. These groupings formed the basis of several crosstabulations in which the relative frequency of aggravated assaults was the dependent variable. Neighborhood types differed markedly in the amplitude of their summer peaking of assaults, low-status neighborhoods having a peak not amenable to explanation entirely on the basis of month length or number of weekend days in the months. Assaults directly linked to alcohol sales es...