Inner-City Mobility: Does Moving Within the City Reduce Exposure to Violence for Immigrant and Minority Youth?

• In Event: Geography, Place, and Social Ecology

Abstract

Programs such as Moving to Opportunity and The Gatreaux Project focus on residents moving from the central city to suburbs to avoid exposure to violence. However, many inner-city residents lack the resources to move out of urban areas though they frequently change residential locations within the confines of the city limits. Using the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) data, we explore the role of inner-city mobility on exposure to neighborhood violence, particularly among minority and immigrant youth. Specifically, we examine how moving to neighborhoods with greater, lesser or similar levels of collective efficacy influences youth experiences with neighborhood violence as well as parenting practices that may protect these youth from potentially harmful neighborhood conditions.

Authors

• Maria Joao Lobo Antunes, Towson University

• Eileen M. Ahlin, Penn State Harrisburg