Residential Segregation Across Metro St. Louis School Districts: Examining the Intersection of Two Spatial Dimensions

Abstract

The present study employs a geospatial analytical approach to studying the evenness-clustering and isolation-exposure dimensions of segregation in the context of the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan region. In contrast to global indicators of segregation, this approach focuses on the evenness and isolation dimensions at the local level to visualize how they interact across neighborhoods. While not traditionally thought of as a method for theory testing, geographic information systems (GIS) can contribute to the validation process by displaying how constructs interact when applied in an actual geographic context. We examined separately the segregation dimension of racial evenness-exposure and its intersection with Black isolation and poverty isolation. The study used data from 446 census tracts that represent 65 St. Louis area school districts. When visualizing segregation dimensions through spatial mapping, it becomes apparent that communities that appear diverse may have neighborhoods where individuals or groups remain isolated.