White flight is the movement of affluent whites from cities to suburbs, while gentrification is the opposite. Racism, redlining, and blockbusting contribute to the phenomenon, causing harm to communities and widening the gap in access to education and services. Efforts are being made to reduce white flight and encourage the creation of affluent multicultural neighborhoods.
The phenomenon of upper and middle class whites moving from the cities to the suburbs is known as white flight. The opposite of white flight is gentrification, a process in which affluent whites move back to an urban area, displacing current residents and rapidly raising the cost of living so that previous residents are forced to relocate. Both practices have been extensively documented by students of demography and urban development. White flight, in particular, has negative connotations, especially for those left behind in the suddenly impoverished neighborhood.
This phenomenon began on a large scale after World War II when African Americans began looking to settle in American cities. Many of these men and women were starting to enter the middle class themselves, with good jobs, education, and community values. In many cases, however, racism has led whites to attempt to oust blacks. When that was unsuccessful, the white population moved to the suburbs, establishing new and mostly racially homogeneous communities. This practice has been termed “white flight” and has led to class and racial segregation in many American cities.
Several practices, including redlines and restrictive covenants, keep neighborhoods racially segregated. Redlining refers to the practice of denying goods and services to people in certain neighborhoods. It’s a reference to the red line that used to be drawn on bank maps, indicating a neighborhood where no investment would be made. Mortgage discrimination is also a big part of redlining, essentially forcing minorities to buy property in only certain regions, assuming they can buy property at all. This practice is illegal in the United States and is prosecuted when evidence that it is occurring can be provided. Restraining clauses are terms in a lease or deed of sale that dictate how the property is to be used, and while it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, many of these agreements are on a fine line between discrimination and perfectly legal action.
Several factors contribute to the phenomenon. The first is racism, especially with increasing numbers of immigrants from other countries, such as Latin American and Asian nations. Some whites may have the perception that crime rates are higher in neighborhoods with a high concentration of minorities, which may or may not be true. Some are just plain racist. Either way, they move.
Blockbusting, a real estate practice, has also contributed to historic white flight and may continue to do so in some regions. It involves the sale of a property in a predominantly white neighborhood to a black family, facilitated by a real estate agent. When neighboring white families learn of the sale, they fear their property values will decline; they sell off their properties, vanishing into the suburbs. Meanwhile, the real estate agent stands to make a significant profit.
A number of Americans and communities are harmed by this event. White flight causes abandoned neighborhoods to decay, as wealthy families no longer support the area. As a result, the gap in access to education and services between rich and poor becomes much wider. The racial segregation caused by this phenomenon also leads to a lack of cultural exchange and enrichment. Several institutions and organizations are working across the United States to reduce white flight by encouraging the creation of affluent multicultural neighborhoods.
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