ABSTRACT
Suburban blacks historically resided in marginal locations, often in all-black towns or outlying "pockets of poverty" or as "pioneers" in all-white areas, and were socially and economically isolated from the white suburban community. At the structural level, the suburbanization of the black population represents a continuation of the development and maturation of the suburbs, with race now adding a further dimension of territorial differentiation as suburban space continues to become functionally and socially specialized. Such suburban territorial differentiation in turn generates a set of institutional mechanisms with real consequences in constraining individual residential choice to conform to and reinforce the existing structure. Segregated residential patterns remained relatively undiminished despite the increasing socioeconomic similarity of blacks and whites. Racial differences in the search for housing are complemented by the issue of differential housing prices. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
