Question 1

Post-World War II federal policies that channeled federal funds away from cities to help finance suburban development…

Accepted Answer

Post-World War II federal policies that channeled funds away from cities and towards suburban development, such as highway construction and mortgage lending, exacerbated the already struggling situation for American cities. These policies led to urban decay, increased poverty, and racial segregation. While suburbs flourished, cities were left to deal with deteriorating infrastructure and social issues.

Question 2

"Redlining," a policy that denied mortgage funds to many urban communities, especially those containing large minority populations, was…

Accepted Answer

Redlining was a government-sponsored policy that was implemented by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in the 1930s. The policy designated certain neighborhoods as too risky for mortgage lending, often based on racial and ethnic demographics. This had the effect of denying many people, particularly minorities, access to homeownership and creating deeply segregated urban areas. The practice continued until the 1960s when it was outlawed by the Fair Housing Act.

Question 3

Rather than natural areas emerging out of processes of invasion and succession, as the human ecologists hypothesized, research demonstrated that the creation and development of segregated Black urban communities…

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the creation and development of segregated Black urban communities was due to a government-sponsored policy, specifically the practice of redlining and discriminatory lending practices by the Federal Housing Administration, which limited access to mortgages and loans for Black Americans. This policy was in effect until the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Question 4

Massey and Denton summarized the differences between the immigration experiences of Europeans and the migration experience of southern African Americans into Northern cities.Which of the following is NOT one of the differences?

Accepted Answer

Massey and Denton actually argue that African Americans experienced a much longer and more difficult assimilation process into Northern cities than European immigrants, in part due to racial discrimination and segregation. Choice B suggests the opposite.

Question 5

According to Massey and Denton, what has contributed most to the prevalence of Black poverty and has had the most detrimental effect on racial relationships in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Massey and Denton argue that the Black ghetto - the concentration of impoverished Black populations in certain geographic areas - has contributed most to the prevalence of Black poverty and has had the most detrimental effect on racial relationships in the United States. They contend that government policies such as redlining and discriminatory housing practices, as well as systemic racism and white flight, have reinforced and perpetuated the existence of these ghettos.

Question 6

An area that ranks high on all five dimensions of segregation is an example of…

Accepted Answer

Hypersegregation refers to extreme levels of segregation where a particular area or community ranks high on all five dimensions of segregation - even higher than the average level of segregation. This includes measures of residential segregation, economic segregation, educational segregation, social segregation, and political segregation. Therefore, an area that ranks high on all five dimensions of segregation is an example of hypersegregation. Choices A, C, and D do not accurately describe the concept of hypersegregation.

Question 7

If a neighborhood is so segregated that the people in it have virtually no contact with people in the larger society, that neighborhood is…

Accepted Answer

Hypersegregated neighborhoods are those where minority groups are highly concentrated and have little contact with other ethnic or racial groups. This can lead to social isolation and limited economic opportunities for residents.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT one of the high-rise housing projects for the poor?

Accepted Answer

Stuyvesant Town is a middle-income housing project, not one for the poor. The other three options (A, B, and D) are all high-rise housing projects for low-income families.

Question 9

Under the Urban Renewal Act of 1949, government-subsidized housing replaced demolished older areas that were defined as slums.Many of these programs seemed aimed at displacing the poor, especially members of minority groups, thus giving rise to the term…

Accepted Answer

The term "Negro removal" was used to describe the displacement of poor, minority residents from urban areas through government-subsidized housing programs under the Urban Renewal Act of 1949. This practice was seen as discriminatory and contributed to the segregation of cities.

Question 10

The Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St.Louis was built in 1956 as a Le Corbusier-style "radiant city." By 20 years later the project…

Accepted Answer

The Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis had deteriorated so much and had become so unsafe that it was demolished 20 years after it was built. The project suffered from issues such as poor construction, lack of maintenance, and high crime rates, leading to its eventual demolition in 1972.

Question 11

The failure of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St.Louis was due to the nature of its architectural design and to…

Accepted Answer

The failure of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project was caused by a combination of political, social, and economic factors beyond the control of the residents. The project was poorly planned and designed, with cramped living spaces, poor ventilation, and inadequate amenities. The residents faced racial segregation and discrimination, poverty, and unemployment, which led to social unrest and crime. The project was also underfunded and mismanaged, and it became a symbol of urban blight and decay. While the residents did contribute to the degradation of the buildings, they were not solely responsible for the project's failure.

Question 12

The study of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St.Louis by Yancey and his colleagues concluded that the architectural design of the project produced…

Accepted Answer

The study by Yancey and his colleagues concluded that the architectural design of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis had an atomizing effect on the residents' informal social networks. This means that the design of the project broke down the social connections between the residents, leading to a negative impact on the community.

Question 13

Yancey and his colleagues concluded that what was seen as "wasted space," by the designers of Pruitt-Igoe and other projects, should be seen as "defensible space" which is essential for…

Accepted Answer

Yancey and his colleagues concluded that the "wasted space" in projects like Pruitt-Igoe should be seen as "defensible space" which is essential for the development of informal networks of friends and relatives, social support, protection, and informal social control. Therefore, all of the above choices are correct.

Question 14

In studying the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago, Sudhir Venkatesh avoids focusing on the pathology of the residents or the idea that high-rise projects are a pathological built environment.Instead, he focuses on…

Accepted Answer

Sudhir Venkatesh focuses on the daily struggles of the residents to create a livable community in which they can live peacefully and safely even in the face of tremendous challenges and with limited resources. He does not focus on the pathology of the residents or the idea that high-rise projects are a pathological built environment, but instead humanizes the residents and their struggles.

Question 15

According to Venkatesh, which of the following was NOT one of the factors leading to the failure of the Robert Taylor Homes?

Accepted Answer

In Venkatesh's analysis, he does not attribute the failure of the Robert Taylor Homes to the residents' laziness. Rather, he identifies factors such as poor law enforcement, diminished federal funding, socioeconomic hardships, and gang violence as contributing to the downfall of the housing project.

Question 16

Unlike many other urban renewal projects, Stuyvesant Town was…

Accepted Answer

Stuyvesant Town was specifically designed for the middle class, distinguishing it from other urban renewal projects that might have targeted different socioeconomic groups or followed different design principles.

Question 17

Hutter suggests that the success of Stuyvesant Town can be seen as…

Accepted Answer

Hutter argues that Stuyvesant Town's success is due to its proper funding, which allowed for a housing complex designed for people to live in rather than one designed to separate and segregate people. He does not specifically mention the avoidance of the Le Corbusier model, the presence of numerous stores, or the importance of architecture in his analysis.

Question 18

Gentrification often leads to…

Accepted Answer

Gentrification often leads to the displacement of lower-income people as the cost of living increases in the area due to the influx of higher-income residents. This change in the character of the neighborhood can also impact local businesses and cultural institutions.

Question 19

Neil Smith links beliefs about the need to develop previously devalued urban land to the ideology of…

Accepted Answer

Neil Smith links beliefs about the need to develop previously devalued urban land to the ideology of the frontier, specifically the idea of "frontier expansionism" and the belief in the endless availability of new land and resources for development.

Question 20

If you were making cultural and quality-of-life arguments and explanations for gentrification, you would be giving ________ arguments.

Accepted Answer

Cultural and quality-of-life arguments and explanations for gentrification typically focus on the demand side of the equation, highlighting how people's preferences and values are driving the process. Supply-oriented arguments, on the other hand, focus on the market forces and structural factors that enable gentrification to occur. Economic arguments tend to emphasize the benefits of gentrification for local economies, while revanchist arguments frame gentrification as a form of revenge or retaliation against marginalized communities.

Quiz 11: Urban Communities and Social Policies