The Geography of Opportunity in Seattle

& King CountyResearch and Advocacy at the

Intersection of Race and PovertyPRRAC Small Grants Program

john a. powellExecutive Director, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

Communities of Opportunity Everyone should

have access to the critical opportunity structures needed to succeed in life

Affirmatively connecting people to opportunity creates positive, transformative change in communities

Planning forOpportunity Communitie

s

Mapping OpportunityThe Kirwan Institute

has conducted “opportunity mapping” for states and metropolitan regions across the US How are low-income groups

situated in the State? How are racial and ethnic

groups situated? What can be done to improve

the opportunity landscape?

Opportunity maps can illuminate…What neighborhoods are at risk of becoming

low opportunity communities? Where is affordable housing needed in

opportunity rich communities within the region?

Which neighborhoods are significantly impacting the quality of life and development of children in the region?

What are the neighborhood conditions for neighborhoods impacted by foreclosure?

The Credit and Foreclosure Crisis

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Institutionalized Disinvestment: Redlining Map of Philadelphia

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From Redlining to Reverse Redlining

Connecticut

Columbus

Thompson v. HUD

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Subsidized housing opportunities in Baltimore are generally clustered in the region’s predominately African American neighborhoods

Remedial proposalThe remedy must provide

desegregative housing units in areas of opportunity

The remedy must be regional in scope

The remedy must be race conscious

The remedial program should be a structured choice model

The remedy must be goal driven, not process driven

HUD must consider both vouchers and housing production to meet the remedy’s goals

Race and Class intersections: low income whites are not as spatially segregated

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Indicators of Opportunity: Austin

EDUCATION ECONOMIC MOBILITY & TRANSPORTATION

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY

School Poverty

Teacher Experience

Student/ Teacher Ratio

Math & Reading Scores

Student Retention

Unemployment

Dependence on Public Assistance

Proximity to Employment

Ratio of jobs to residents

Job growth trends

Commute Time

Access to public transit stops

Frequency of public transit service

Proximity to toxic waste

Access to parks and open space

Proximity to health care facilities and

physicians

Access to grocery stores

Insurance access

Neighborhood poverty rates

Housing vacancy rates

Crime rates

Home ownership

Median income

Home values

Figure 1: Opportunity indicators used in the Austin analysis

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Opportunity in a Hot Market City

•Opportunity in the Austin region is more centralized -- not a hollow region like Cleveland or Baltimore

•Although opportunity is more centralized, it is still spatially segregated

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Children of Color and Educational Opportunity

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Opportunity and Subsidized Housing

Subsidized housing is almost non existent in high opportunity areas

Approximately 1 out of 10 subsidized housing sites can be found in high opportunity census tracts, while 2 out of 3 sites are concentrated in the region’s low opportunity areas

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Linguistically Isolated People and the Comprehensive

Opportunity Map for the Austin Region

The Geography of Opportunity in Seattle

& King CountyKing County, WA Opportunity Mapping –

Mapping to Promote Equitable Community Development and Fair

Housing

Project Tasks & SchedulePhase 1 Data collection and geo-coding of opportunity indicator data for the region. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis of opportunity indicator data for

the region’s census tracts and communities, creation of initial maps. Basic analysis of racial characteristics within various areas of opportunity

Phase 2 Mapping and in-depth analysis of socio-economic conditions (race, class and

ethnicity) in various opportunity areas Mapping and analysis of subprime lending trends and foreclosures, affordable

housing, subsidized housing and other housing characteristics in various opportunity areas

Mapping and evaluation of neighborhood performance based on indicators related to national averages (identifying high and low performing areas based on national trends)

Preparation of report outlining mapping results and identification of strategies to remedy opportunity isolation for marginalized communities

Publication of results on-line and presentation of results

Seattle / King County Opportunity “indicators” Education: Educational attainment for the total

population School poverty for neighborhood schools Test scores for neighborhood schools Teacher qualifications for neighborhood

schools (or certified teachers) Teacher student ratio

Economic Opportunity and Mobility: Unemployment rates Population on public assistance Proximity to employment (job opportunities

within 5 miles) Economic climate 1 (change in # of jobs w/in

5 miles) Economic climate 2 (business creation w/in 5

miles) Mean commute time

Housing and Neighborhood Health: Property values Property appreciation (based on local

realty data if available) Housing vacancy rates Crime rates Poverty rates Population change Home ownership Proximity to toxic

waste release sites Proximity to parks/open space

Feedback & collaboration?

www.KirwanInstitute.org