The Bay Area may be one of the most diverse places in the country, but new research from UC Berkeley suggests the region has become more segregated over the last several decades.
Overall, more than three-quarters of U.S. cities and metro areas have become more segregated over the last three decades, according to the study.
"It’s not the sort of segregation that you had in, say, the 1950, where you had clearly identifiable community and neighborhoods and African Americans were only committed by law into a small number of tightly bound places," Stephen Menendian, director of research at the Othering and Belonging Institute at Cal, explained. "What you have now is a lot of mobile, regional segregation. But it’s still just as highly segregated. In fact, what we found is that the overall, aggregate level of segregation is higher than it was in 1970."
Menedian said this modern form of segregation is even occurring in the Bay Area, in counties that are considered overwhelmingly diverse.
"You have these highly affluent, exclusionary suburbs like Lafayette and Los Altos and those sorts of places, that have maintained their racial and economic exclusivity over time," he said.
The area where people live determines their access to education, jobs, and a clean and healthy environment, Menendian said. Through land use and zoning policies, this form of segregation, especially in the Bay Area, has greatly perpetuated racial inequality over time.
The study ranked Detroit as the most segregated city in the country, while Oakland placed in the top 20.
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