Impacts of Changing Racial Composition Upon Commercial Land Use Succession and Commercial Structure

Abstract

This empirical study focuses on the relationships between changes in neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and alterations in the number as well as the mix of com mercial enterprises. Three Denver neighborhoods that differed in population growth rates, income changes, and shifts in racial composition over the 1960-1970 study period are selected for comparative analysis. Significant differences in commercial mobility patterns and commercial structural change between neighborhoods are identified. The research results suggest that change in racial composition is a major force affecting neighborhood commercial structural change while income shifts appear to play a less significant role.