Race, Neighborhoods, and Community Power

Book excerpt: In this provocative and in-depth history of several decades of recent Buffalo city politics, Neil Kraus examines the local political causes behind geographic concentrations of poverty. Race, Neighborhoods, and Community Power makes the compelling case that policy adopted at the local level has had a significant impact on the development of low-income, segregated urban neighborhoods. By examining the policy areas of urban housing, urban renewal, education, fair housing, as well as several major development decisions, Kraus offers a detailed, step-by-step investigation of how each policy decision affected the segregation of the city's east side, and thus provides a new perspective on the debate over concentrated urban policy.