2. Case studies: Compare segregation in different cities

Student Activity: Use SocialExplorer (individually or in groups) to compare the patterns of segregation that you observe in the following cities (map slide shows in SocialExplorer are linked):

• Milwaukee, WI (3 maps for White, African American, Latino populations)
• Birmingham, AL (3 maps for White, African American, Latino populations)
• Salt Lake City, UT (3 maps for White, African American, Latino populations)
• Houston, TX (3 maps for White, African American, Latino populations)

Do some of these cities appear more segregated than others? How can you tell? What similarities and differences do you notice?

Each student (or group) select one of these cities and make a report using the REPORT button to compare different census tracts in the city. [Tutorial] (Make sure you are zoomed in close enough to see the tract outlines.) Click on tracts that appear to be very segregated, and others that appear to be integrated, based on the map. In groups, compare what you find for different cities.

Discussion: Here are some discussion questions for this activity:

• Are some cities more segregated than others? How can you tell?
• How are the types of segregation found in these cities similar? How are they different? How would you explain these differences?
• What do you notice about the segregation in these cities as you look back in time? Have the cities been segregated for a long time? Has there been some change in the degree of segregation? To what might you attribute these changes?