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Housing Segregation in the Bay Area
Academic Angela Traugott
Nominated by Professor Martin Nash
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The San Francisco Bay Area has historically been segregated by everyday discrimination as well as discriminatory laws. Much of this segregation can be seen today, and it has a negative impact on quality of life in many communities of color. In this paper, I will detail the history and significance of housing segregation in the Bay Area, focusing primarily on black communities. I will also touch on the history of housing segregation in Livermore in particular. Finally, I will discuss some potential solutions to the negative impacts of segregation.
General Overview
The Bay Area is a region with a very diverse and growing population.
Despite its diverse population, the Bay Area is segregated in many ways.
According to a report by the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, the Bay Area is “visibly segregated at the regional, county, metropolitan, municipal, and neighborhood levels” (Menendian & Gambhir, 2019). In general, according to the report, there are two forms of segregation in the Bay Area: inter-municipal segregation, which occurs when populations are segregated from city to city, and intra-municipal segregation, which occurs when neighborhoods are segregated within cities. Inter-municipal segregation is most often seen among smaller cities in the Bay Area like Livermore and Pleasanton, which are disproportionately white. However, this form of segregation sometimes involves a more mutual exclusion between white and non-white populations. This can be seen in cities like Cupertino (which is about 66% Asian) and Gilroy (which is about 60% Latino). On the other hand, intra-municipal segregation is more commonly seen within larger cities with more extensive histories of housing discrimination, including redlining and racial covenants. Examples of these larger cities are San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.
African Americans
During the Great Migration, hundreds of thousands of African Americans left the Southern U.S. and moved into the Bay Area, increasing their share of the population from 1.2% in 1940 to 7.9% in 1970. Many came to the Bay Area in search of work related to industries that supported war efforts, such as shipbuilding. However, African Americans’ opportunities were limited by discrimination in law and everyday culture, and they were targeted heavily by racial covenants and other discriminatory policies. In the 1960s and 1970s, the federal government designated specific neighborhoods in the Bay Area where African Americans could live, primarily in San Francisco and Oakland.
One neighborhood with a strong African American presence during World War II was the Fillmore District in San Francisco, which was at the time considered a hub for black culture. However, after the war, many African Americans working in the defense industry lost their jobs, and living conditions worsened in the Fillmore District. To address these poor living conditions, the city began urban renewal projects in the Fillmore District in 1956, which displaced black families and closed black-owned businesses.
According to an article about the Fillmore District by students at the University of San Francisco, “Although commercialized as something that would benefit black residents, urban renewal meant that homes and businesses, passed down for years [,] were now being sold from under them” (USF).
Currently, the African American population is declining in the Bay Area, both in proportion and by sheer numbers. This population peaked from 1980 to 1990, when African Americans comprised about 9% of the Bay Area’s overall population. Statistical trends also show that many African American households in the Bay Area are getting poorer. According to a report by UC Berkeley’s Urban Displacement Project and the California Housing Partnership, in the Bay Area, “Black and White households decreased in all income categories except for extremely low-income” (Verma et al.). However, while extremely low-income
white households increased by just 5%, extremely low-income black households increased much more drastically by 22%. Many African Americans are moving out of historically black neighborhoods like those in Oakland, and into suburbs in other parts of the Bay Area. This movement is correlated with increases in rent prices and decreases in quality of life. According to the report by the Urban Displacement Project, “Many of the suburban or exurban places to which low-income people of color moved in recent years have become racially segregated and high-poverty and face serious challenges, including aging infrastructure, a lack of jobs, and insufficient social services to address rising poverty and homelessness” (Verma et al.).
Livermore
Livermore is located in Alameda County, which is one of the most racially diverse metropolitan areas in the country. Even then, Alameda County is highly segregated, and fewer than one-fifths of the county’s census tracts are as diverse as the entire county. Most of this segregation in Alameda County is inter-municipal, and Livermore is an example of this inter-municipal segregation. Currently, Livermore’s population is about two-thirds white, which is 30 percent higher than the Alameda County average.
According to the City of Livermore Historic Context Statement,
Livermore had many Native American, Chinese, and Mexican residents in the 19th century. However, over the source of the 20th century, these populations declined as they were driven out with laws and other discriminatory tactics. According to the Historic Context Statement, “Heavily white suburbs [in Livermore] are the result of decades of nationwide exclusionary tactics, including — but not limited to — racial covenants, redlining, real estate steering, and a host of local and federal housing policies” (GPA Consulting 2021). Meanwhile, European immigrants were able to gain larger footholds in the area because they typically faced less discrimination. Only recently has Livermore’s population begun to diversify again, although it is still one of the most segregated cities in Alameda County.
General Overview
Housing segregation is an important topic because it has many impacts on society at large, including wealth, education, and health. According to the Othering & Belonging Institute, white communities are actually the most segregated in the Bay Area. This means that while there are areas where we may find more diverse populations, the areas with the least diversity are most commonly disproportionately white. Neighborhoods with single-family homes have historically been mostly white, which means federal programs and taxes that benefit homeowners primarily benefit white populations financially. In fact, racial segregation may divide communities more than income disparities. According to the Urban Displacement Project, from the years 2000 to 2015: “Low-income White households were seven times more likely to live in 204 higher resource neighborhoods than moderate- and high-income Black households” (Verma et al.). Because of this, many communities of color are left behind in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, while many white communities have generally benefited more from continued segregation.
Segregation negatively impacts health. Areas with more apartment living are usually surrounded by areas zoned for commercial and industrial use, raising health risks in neighborhoods that have been predominantly black and low-income. Many of these communities are harmed by pollution from nearby hazardous waste facilities. In general, many communities of color in the United States also have less local access to crucial infrastructure that benefits health—this includes childcare facilities, healthy grocery stores, and clinics and hospitals.
High segregation is also negatively correlated with education and financial upward mobility for many people of color. One study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that black male children in desegregated schools in the United States earned higher wages later in life. For every 5 years these students spent in desegregated schools, the study found a 25 percent increase in their earnings. Black men living in less segregated neighborhoods also have higher income and lower unemployment rates. Additionally, black male children who attended desegregated schools were 15% less likely to spend time in jail by age 30. These statistics show that segregated schools and neighborhoods are putting specific populations at an unfair disadvantage.
While there are many proposed governmental solutions to the issues that housing segregation brings, each solution has its own benefits and downsides. One solution that the Othering & Belonging Institute identifies is the use of mobility programs, which encourage desegregation by giving families access to housing options in more integrated areas. One mobility program that targeted families in high-poverty black neighborhoods in the late 1960s found that these families, who were moved to more racially integrated neighborhoods, enjoyed better education, higher employment, and higher quality of life. On the other hand, mobility programs are expensive, and since they target specific racial demographics, they may be subject to laws that prohibit racial discrimination in housing. Another solution may be inclusionary zoning and fair share policies, which require a certain percentage of new developments in an area to sell or rent below market rate. This makes some housing more affordable in certain areas, allowing lower-income families of color to enjoy higher-quality housing and education. However, this does not always get rid of segregation, since higher-income families of color living in segregated areas do not benefit as much from affordable housing. Also, some fair share policies are targeted more toward students and retirees, ignoring or even increasing racial segregation. In general, there is no single solution that will perfectly counteract the negative impacts of housing segregation, but pros and cons lie in how effective each solution may be.
Segregation is an important topic because it effects quality of life in many communities. The Bay Area, including the city of Livermore, has had extensive histories of housing segregation due to discriminatory laws and practices. Recent trends have shown that many African Americans are beginning to move out of historically black neighborhoods and into suburbs in the Bay Area, but even more are leaving the Bay Area entirely. While there are many proposed solutions to these negative impacts, including mobility programs and inclusionary zoning, each solution has its pros and cons. Moving forward, the ways segregation is addressed in the Bay Area will likely have a big impact on the growth and evolution of our cities and communities.
“Historic Context Statement.” City of Livermore, GPA Consulting, Mar. 2021, www.cityoflivermore.net/home/showpublisheddocument/7620/637635147916330000.
Verma, Philip, et al. “Rising Housing Costs and Re-Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area.” Urban Displacement, 2018, www.urbandisplacement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bay_area_r e-segregation_rising_housing_costs_report_2019.pdf.
