• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Monday, January 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home National

Life Expectancy Gaps in US Cities Linked to Racial Segregation: Study

Imogen Francis by Imogen Francis
06/13/19
in National
A pedestrian walks past a row of boarded up homes in Baltimore, Maryland.

A pedestrian walks past a row of boarded up homes in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In major cities across the United States, life expectancy can differ between 20 to 30 years depending on what neighborhood you live in, and the gap is widest in cities with extreme racial segregation, a recent study found.

An analysis by the Department of Population Health at New York University’s School of Medicine, using data from the City Health Dashboard, showed that of the 500 cities across the country with over 66,000 residents, life expectancy varied the most in cities that have higher levels of racial segregation.  

Chicago had the largest life expectancy gap of 30.1 years among its population, while also being ranked as one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. And in New York, a person living in East Harlem has a life expectancy of 71.2 years, while a few blocks away on the Upper East Side the average life expectancy is 89.9 years. New York is also second on the list of the most segregated cities in America according to the U.S Census Bureau’s 2013-2017 American Community Survey.

“We’ve known for a while that conditions in our neighborhoods can have a profound influence on how long and how well we live. But we were surprised to see just how large the gap in life expectancy can be between neighborhoods, and how strong the link was between life expectancy and segregation, across all different kinds and sizes of cities,” says Benjamin Spoer, from the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health.


Why Is Racial Segregation Still An Issue In 2019?

From Jim Crow to redlining to discriminatory mortgage lending policies, segregation has always been a part of the fabric of America. But as the country advances and economic opportunities increase neighborhoods with majority minorities still feel the impact of segregation and the lack of help to combat it.

The type of racial segregation we see today in metropolitan areas became more prevalent in the 1960s due to “white flight” which was when white families began migrating to the suburbs. One of the reasons for this was the fear that if minorities started moving into their inner-city neighborhoods, the housing prices would decrease due to discrimination in the real estate industry.

Further, white families had the largest share of wealth during this time (as they do today) so when they left inner-city neighborhoods they took much of the tax base with them, said Mark Treskon, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute.

Photo: City Lab

 

Local taxes make up a large portion of funding for education and community infrastructure such as libraries and parks. When the white middle to upper-class tax-base moved to the suburbs, local governments were only able to pay for the bare necessities and many important aspects of community life fell behind.

Matthew Hall, an associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University, accredited racial segregation as one of the main contributors to various problems in inner-city, low-income neighborhoods.  

“Extensive research has shown that racial segregation undercuts job opportunities, stalls educational progress, and concentrates poverty, which heightens exposure to crime, toxic pollutants, and other social ills,” he said.

It is not only economic factors which are affected by racially segregated communities. Hall also pointed out that racial segregation limits contact between racial groups and has a direct impact on friendships, romantic partners and other facets of our social networks.

Although the analysis by NYU connects life expectancy with racial segregation throughout the U.S., Treskon cautioned against looking at racial residential segregation as a uniform problem because it varies greatly between cities.  

The map for racial segregation differs throughout America because many policies are administered at a state and local level. Treskon said he believes for there to be any real change in racial residential segregation, and in turn life expectancy rates, the federal government would have to get involved and create a nationwide policy.

“The story is playing out differently in different places across the country, is something to really keep in mind,” said Treskon. “Anything to happen at the Federal level would be great, I don’t see anything happening right now, but at the local and regional level is where there might be some action depending on certain places actually looking at and thinking about this more systematically.”

Solutions to combat racial residential segregation have been tested throughout the country with mixed-income housing being one of the most popular. Hall said these types of housing projects could help reduce racial segregation over time.

“Segregation is stubborn and slow to change, but recent research indicates that expanding housing access, particularly affordable and mixed-income types, tends to reduce segregation in the aggregate,” said Hall.


More on the Subject 

Beyond These Walls: Social Control and Criminal Justice in America [Part I]

ShareTweet
Imogen Francis

Imogen Francis

Contact her @squimo

Related Posts

US Capitol building
National

US Life Expectancy Rates Drop for the Third Straight Year

by Albert Kim
November 29, 2018
Next Post
A lawmaker delivering a speech on Medicare for All

Medicare for All: a Pathway to Universal Health Coverage?

Medicine in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Conspiracy Theories Fuel Polio Outbreak

Recommended

Israeli security forces in Jerusalem

Palestinian Gunman Kills 7 in East Jerusalem Synagogue Attack

January 30, 2023
The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, during an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on January 23, 2020

‘Doomsday Clock’ Moves Closest Ever to Midnight

January 25, 2023
Police work near the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California

California Lunar New Year Mass Shooter Dead, Motive Unclear: Police

January 23, 2023
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

Race on To Replace Ardern as New Zealand Prime Minister

January 20, 2023
Pfizer logo and vaccines

Pfizer to Sell More Drugs at Cost to Poor Nations

January 18, 2023
Rescuers inspect the wreckage at the site of a Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal

At Least 67 Killed in Nepal Plane Crash

January 16, 2023

Opinion

George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York

George Santos for Speaker!

January 16, 2023
Commuters waiting for buses in Metro Manila. Philippines

Eight Billion and Counting…

November 29, 2022
Mahsa Amini protests

Imagining a Free Iran

October 24, 2022
Vladimir Putin

How 18th Century International Law Clarifies the Situation in Ukraine

September 29, 2022
Vladimir Putin

Falling for Putin

September 15, 2022
US President Donald Trump

Donald Trump Thanks You for Your Sacrifice

August 17, 2022
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post