Neighborhood opportunity: In an equitable region, access to opportunity-rich neighborhoods would not vary systematically by race.

Insights & Analyses

  • Residents in the Nine-County Bay Area are most likely to live in moderate resource and low resource neighborhoods.
  • In the Nine-County Bay Area, 5 percent of Black residents live in highly segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods – the highest share of all racial groups.
  • Half of white residents live in either high-resource or the highest-resource neighborhoods in the Nine-County Bay Area.
  • Across the nine counties in the region, Solano County has the highest share of residents living in low-resource neighborhoods.

Drivers of Inequity

Historic policies barred low-income people of color from accessing housing in places with greater opportunities. Discriminatory policies like redlining, restrictive covenants, and exclusionary zoning promoted racial segregation – entrenching racial disparities in access to well-resourced neighborhoods. Other policies systematically destroyed the wealth of communities of color. Starting in the 1950s, cities used “urban renewal” to justify demolishing the homes of Black families and to build public amenities meant to attract White residents. 

Strategies

Strengthen places: Strategies to build communities of opportunity

Strategy in Action

Fighting Black displacement in South Berkeley with a community land trust. With support from the Bay Area Community Land Trust, McGee Avenue Baptist Church is restoring an eight-unit residential property in South Berkeley to create affordable housing units for those with low incomes and those at risk of displacement, especially longtime residents who are African American residents. By placing decision-making power back in the hands of the community and residents, this project aims to preserve established communities and local ownership. Learn more.

In Their Own Words...

“ The city can’t heal until it treats the wound that it’s already created right here in the middle of itself.”

— Curtis Bradford, San Francisco

A long-term resident in the San Francisco Tenderloin district, Curtis Bradford has watched his community struggle with homelessness, poverty, and drug addiction. The Tenderloin lacks necessary resources to create a healthy community, like addiction treatment services and traffic safety measures, despite its proximity to affluent areas such as Nob Hill and Union Square. Although the neighborhood has a strong anti-displacement movement, Bradford explains that rising housing prices have still forced many long-term residents onto the streets. He has continued to fight for the survival of his community and remains an active advocate for the Tenderloin.

Curtis Bradford

Related Indicators