Racial Residential Integration in Greater New Haven in the Post-Civil Rights Era

Abstract

Equal housing opportunity for all people regardless of race has been the law in the United Statesfor almost forty years. Nevertheless, racial residential segregation persists. This paper examines the extent to which fair housing laws and institutions have met their goal of promoting racial residential integration in Greater New Haven, Connecticut. For the purposes of this paper, Greater New Haven is defined as the fifteen towns and cities that comprise the South Central Connecticut Regional Council of Governments,[1] which includes Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge.[2] Part II examines racial demographic change in Greater New Haven from 1970 to 2000. In this section, I highlight the region’s population growth and increased racial diversity during this period, and analyze the extent of neighborhood racial integration in the area. I also present the results of a block-level analysis of the racially integrated neighborhoods inNew Haven,West Haven,Hamden, andMeridento determine the extent of racial mixing at a micro level. Finally, I evaluate the stability of racially integrated neighborhoods over the course of the thirty-year period. [1] The South Central Connecticut Council of Regional Governments (SCRCOG) is a consortium of local governments that convenes to coordinate land use and transportation development. South Central Connecticut Council of Regional Governments, Website Homepage, http://www.scrcog.org/index.htm. [2] See infra Appendix, Map 1.