The Suburban Promise? Race, Place, and the Structure of Opportunity

• In Event: Critical Spatial: And Pedagogical Approaches to Race and Place

Abstract

Growing social inequities in suburbia may undermine the extent to which this purported promised land offers youth in the U.S. similar opportunities to thrive. A deeper understanding of youth outcomes in the 21st century requires careful consideration of shifts in the opportunity structure that are associated with growing suburban poverty. This study asks: to what extent do suburban communities offer advantaged and disadvantaged youth comparable opportunities to thrive? Using spatial and quantitative methods, it contrasts the social opportunities of youth living in affluent suburbs outside of two major U.S. cities. Findings indicate that Black and Hispanic youth encounter more constrained opportunity structures—even in affluent regions.

Author

• Ebony M Duncan-Shippy, Washington University in St. Louis