Racial and spatial relations as fundamental determinants of health in Detroit

Abstract

African Americans in the United States have a higher than average risk of morbidity and mortality, despite declining mortality rates for many causes of death for the general population. This article examines race-based residential segregation as a fundamental cause of racial disparities, shaping differences in exposure to, and experiences of, diseases and risk factors. The spatial distribution of racial groups, specifically the residential segregation of African Americans in aging urban areas, contributes to disparities in health by influencing access to economic, social, and physical resources essential to health. Using the Detroit metropolitan area as a case study, this article looks at the influences of the distribution of African American and white residents on access to these resources and discusses the implications for urban policies to reduce racial disparities in health status.

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Racial segregation as a fundamental determinant of racial disparities in health.

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Census tracts with more than 40 percent of residents below the poverty line in Detroit, Michigan, 1970, 1980, and 1990. “Nonconcentrated poverty” refers to census tracts in which less than 40 percent of households reported incomes that fell below federal poverty standards in that year. The cities of Highland Park and Hamtramck, at one time “edge cities” on the outskirts of Detroit, are now completely surrounded by the city. In this figure, they appear as white areas in the center of the city. The racial composition of these areas, once predominantly white ethnic, is now similar to that of the surrounding Detroit neighborhoods. Source: Maps created by Jason C. Booza, Center for Urban Studies, Wayne State University.

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Census tracts with more than 40 percent of residents below the poverty line in Detroit, Michigan, 1970, 1980, and 1990. “Nonconcentrated poverty” refers to census tracts in which less than 40 percent of households reported incomes that fell below federal poverty standards in that year. The cities of Highland Park and Hamtramck, at one time “edge cities” on the outskirts of Detroit, are now completely surrounded by the city. In this figure, they appear as white areas in the center of the city. The racial composition of these areas, once predominantly white ethnic, is now similar to that of the surrounding Detroit neighborhoods. Source: Maps created by Jason C. Booza, Center for Urban Studies, Wayne State University.

fig. 2

Census tracts with more than 40 percent of residents below the poverty line in Detroit, Michigan, 1970, 1980, and 1990. “Nonconcentrated poverty” refers to census tracts in which less than 40 percent of households reported incomes that fell below federal poverty standards in that year. The cities of Highland Park and Hamtramck, at one time “edge cities” on the outskirts of Detroit, are now completely surrounded by the city. In this figure, they appear as white areas in the center of the city. The racial composition of these areas, once predominantly white ethnic, is now similar to that of the surrounding Detroit neighborhoods. Source: Maps created by Jason C. Booza, Center for Urban Studies, Wayne State University.

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Census tracts by percentage of Detroit residents who identify as white or as African American, 1990. Source: Maps created by Jason C. Booza, Center for Urban Studies, Wayne State University.