ABSTRACT

Sociologists and urban planners have studied the serious social and psychological traumas that accompany radical changes in community institutions. According to many social scientists, the relationships between individuals and their social institutions are profoundly affected by rapid social change. The case of Rosedale shows that racial antagonism was a much more potent and salient factor undermining a sense of community than were the sinister forces of technological and industrial change. The ghettoization of Rosedale, however, transformed neighborhood life and culture in that community. Local market opportunities and personal financial circumstances made it possible for many families to leave the neighborhood "early on." Real estate brokers interested in maximizing commissions have a direct stake in volume selling. A drop in market prices can be compensated for by increasing the volume of sales. City government was also identified as having abandoned Rosedale. The elderly claimed that the quality of city services had deteriorated since the neighborhood had changed from white to black.