Work

East-Side Story: Historical Pollution and Persistent Neighborhood Sorting

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Why are the east sides of formerly industrial cities more deprived? To answer this question, we use individual-level census data and create historical pollution patterns derived from the locations of 5,000 industrial chimneys and an atmospheric model. We show that this observation results from path-dependent neighborhood sorting that began during the Industrial Revolution, as prevailing winds blew pollution eastward. Past pollution explains up to 20% of observed neighborhood segregation in 2011, even though coal pollution stopped in the 1970s. We develop a quantitative model to identify the role of neighborhood effects and relocation rigidities underlying this persistence.

Source: Journal of Political Economy

DOI: 10.1086/713101

Authors: Stephan Heblich, Alex Trew, Yanos Zylberberg

Institutions: University of Toronto, University of St Andrews, University of Glasgow, University of Bristol

Language: English

Topic: Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council