Re-Thinking Our Understanding of Racial/Ethnic Spatial Patterning in US Cities: Columbus Ohio Msa, 1990-2000

Lawrence A. Brown, Ohio State University
Su-Yeul Chung, Ohio State University

This paper undertakes critical examination of frameworks generally accepted as explanations of residential clustering/segregation along racial/ethnic lines -- Assimilation, Stratification, Resurgent Ethnicity -- and articulates a new framework -- “Market-Led Pluralism” -- that better fits today’s realities. Each framework is described in its own right and in broad social science context. Empirical analyzes seek to understand how these frameworks work together to form the mosaic of a contemporary urban area, and the relative importance of each -- focusing on a single, mid-sized MSA, Columbus Ohio. analyzes completed thus far examine the spatial patterning of racial/ethnic clustering/segregation, using spatial statistics such as Local Moran’s I, location quotient, and finer-grain analyzes that highlight variance falling below the radar of these established statistics. Support for Assimilation and Stratification is weak; support for Resurgent Ethnicity and Market-Led Pluralization is very strong; and a distinct difference between Resurgent Ethnicity and Market-Led Pluralism is apparent.