Race, Neighborhoods, and Community Power: Buffalo Politics, 1934-1997

by Neil Kraus

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791491720
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	11/09/2000
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Neil Kraus is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hamline University.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments

1. Race, Neighborhoods, and Community Power

2. Buffalo and Western New York

3. Race, Neighborhood Composition, and Representation

4. Race and Public Housing Policy: The Early Years

5. Urban Renewal and the East Side

6. Urban Unrest, Suburban Growth, and the Birth of the Contemporary Ghetto

7. Arthur v. Nyquist and the Emergence of Mayor Griffin

8. Nostalgia and Confrontation: The Griffin Years

9. Conclusions

Postscript
Methodological Appendix
Notes
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Kraus (political science, Hamline U.) uses case studies and in-depth research to show how local political causes closely affected geographic concentrations of poverty and segregation in Buffalo. Chapters describe the racial composition of neighborhoods; community power; Buffalo within western New York, race, neighborhoods, and representation; race and public housing policy; urban renewal and Buffalo's east side; urban unrest, suburban growth, and the birth of the contemporary ghetto; school segregation and the beginning of their desegregation; and issues of race and nostalgia in the era of four- time mayor Griffin. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"The case studies are quite interesting and demonstrate that local decisions in urban renewal, public housing, and education reinforced concentrated poverty, and not only racial segregation. This is an important point..." — Dennis R. Judd, University of Missouri–St. Louis

From the Publisher