Maintaining Racially Diverse Neighborhoods

Abstract

The author presents some results of a study of organized neighborhood integration maintenance efforts in 15 urban communities across the country since 1956. Theoretical insights from three sociological fields are interwoven: race relations, social movements, and urban communities. Based on field research, sociohistorical review, and census data, three analytical models are described and contrasted representing success, failure, and conditional attempts in this movement effort. Factors of success and failure indicate the critical role of external forces and institutional processes in this social movement. Successful movement programs that maintain neighborhood integration while expanding regional housing choices are reviewed, and policy implications are presented.