Mechanisms of Urban Segregation: Instability, Paralysis, and Dualness in Atlantic City

• In Event: 40821 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 16. Segregation

Abstract

While much scholarship treats segregation as a fixed characteristic of urban spaces, this paper examines segregation as an active and ongoing process, focusing on the mechanisms of racial capitalism that sustain racial and economic divisions in the city. Through an ethnographic lens, this study reveals segregation as a process shaped by policies, economic decisions, and social practices that continually displace and destabilize Black and low-income residents, fostering a sense of paralysis—a social-emotional urban condition faced after the onslaught of disasters to ones’ livelihood over time that results in insolation and social and political disengagement.

Using Atlantic City as a case study, this study explores the ways in which structural racism, real estate practices, and economic restructuring work together to produce and reinforce urban dualism. The concept of "dualness" describes the coexistence of two cities: one of economic power and opportunity, concentrated in tourism and casinos, and another of systemic neglect, where longtime residents struggle against exclusion from economic growth and stability. A key mechanism of segregation examined in the study is residential redlining and its long-term effects on housing instability and neighborhood vulnerability. The text details how discriminatory housing policies confined Black residents to the Northside, where property values were intentionally suppressed, leaving these communities more susceptible to displacement during periods of economic transition with casinos closures and municipal takeovers. Further, the presentation interrogates the role of the growth machine that prioritizes tourism-driven urban renewal projects while systematically pushing out marginalized populations. Through interviews and historical analysis, Jackson illustrates how these crises are leveraged to justify redevelopment efforts that cater to external stakeholders rather than long-standing residents. Beyond identifying these mechanisms, this study argues for reimagining urban development in ways that prioritize racial equity and long-term stability for Black and low-income residents rather than perpetuating cycles of exclusion and paralysis.

Author

• Christina R. Jackson, Rutgers University