Organizational Dimensions of Spatial Inequality: Illustrations from the Phoenix-Mesa Urbanized Area

• In Event: 297 - Section on Community and Urban Sociology Paper Session. Urban Spatial Inequality

Abstract

Wilson’s (1987) observation that areas of concentrated poverty often lacked organizational resources sensitized researchers to the phenomenon of spatial inequality. Following Logan (2012), spatial inequality refers to the unequal access or exposure by different population subgroups to community resources. To understand spatial inequality one not only needs to study the distribution of organizational resources across the urban landscape but also how well or poorly residents are able to access these resources. Here, we introduce the concept of spatial capital which focuses on both the transportation technologies possessed by residents and how the transportation system is structured. We present three analyses to illustrate our points. First, we show that organizational resources are not distributed randomly across the metropolitan landscape. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, for example, wealthier neighborhoods had more organizational resources such as recreation and medical services, while areas with more children had less access to recreation, food stores, and medical services. Second, we show that families’ transportation resources mediate the effect of proximity of organizational resources on what families utilize. This analysis also draws on data collected from the Phoenix metropolitan area. Third, using data on 28 different metropolitan areas, we show that where organizations are located and how easy or difficult it is for residents to access them has ramifications for metropolitan level high school drop-out rates.

Authors

• Joseph Galaskiewicz, University of Arizona

• Kathryn Freeman Anderson, University of Houston

• Kendra L. Thompson-Dyck, University of Arizona

• Daniel Duerr, Saint Leo University

• Scott V. Savage, University of Houston

• Joy Inouye, Campbell Institute, National Safety Council