Milwaukee is #1! (Waukesha, Cleveland: unemployment, neighborhoods, university)

[sandwiche]

Based on new census numbers, Milwaukee is the #1 most segregated metro area in the United States.

The Ten Most Segregated Urban Areas in America

The rankings are based on a dissimilarity index, a measure used by social scientists to gauge residential segregation. It reflects the number of people from one race -- in this case black or white -- who would have to move for races to be evenly distributed across a certain area. A score of 1 indicates perfect integration while 100 signals complete segregation. The rankings were compiled by John Paul DeWitt of CensusScope.org and the University of Michigan's Social Science Data Analysis Network.

"Most of our history is very similar to Chicago, Cleveland or even Baltimore," says Marc Levine, professor of history and economic development at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. "Every place has had the zoning ordinances, then restrictive covenants, the practices of realtors. The standard history. What makes Milwaukee a little bit different than these other places, which explains why we're consistently in the top five and often No. 1, in segregation? We have the lowest rate of African-American suburbanization of any of these larger cities."

Levine has done some fascinating research into Walker's political base. Of the nation's 30 largest metro areas, Milwaukee had the biggest partisan vote gap between city and suburb, with city-dwellers supporting Obama 31 points more than suburbanites.

[Badger]

it's also one of the worst for teenage black pregnancy and black male unemployment but don't expect the insular people on here to admit they've got problems. it's all great b/c they still have summerfest. Pay no attention to the nets under the Hoan bridge there to catch falling chunks of concrete.

[Nuclear_Art]

Please don't put your Waukesha in my dissimilarity index, thank you. Waukesha is not Milwaukee in any way, shape or form. They are aliens.

[Jesse276]

Originally Posted by Badger

Pay no attention to the nets under the Hoan bridge there to catch falling chunks of concrete.

This to me symbolizes the rest of the state's relationship with Milwaukee. Let's take something that is the STATE OF WISCONSIN'S RESPONSIBILITY and how they don't care to properly fund maintenance of it.

Then, let's blame the city of Milwaukee for it falling apart.

[DiegoLoomis]

What's new, this is not shocking. People want to live where they choose. People want to live with people who look like them, do you blame them!

[Snixy]

Frankly, I think Milwaukee should stop getting so upset about the racial segregation and worry more about the problem that lies quietly underneath it - the economic segregation. We need to talk about how to get people out of the poor neighborhoods for work (Mr. Walker and friends: this is where quality public transit come in, among other things), and bringing quality jobs into those same neighborhoods. That way, if people stay in their historic neighborhoods they can afford to improve them and make them more appealing, and if they don't want to stay they can actually afford to leave.

I know the solution is immensely more complicated than 1 paragraph, but I think most will agree that it's worth the work.