“Every American deserves [their] own home.” This ideal has been echoed since before the creation of America as an independent country. But does this particular sentiment serve the American public? Jefferson himself claimed that living in rural areas granted Americans, “health, virtue, and freedom.” This form of anti-urban bias transformed into the preference of owning one 's own land and eventually the single family home ideal. Single family homes are the number one priority in the United States, a position that is not echoed by any other country. Housing ideals lead to practices like zoning, that keep homes out of harmful areas of industry or waste, as well as protecting land value. However, zoning has historically left people of color behind
…show more content…
Due to this influx in population the current infrastructure was insufficient and services began to lag behind. This caused a series of problems with transportation, waste management, and insufficient/degraded housing. Due to urban areas often having the jobs immigrants desired these overcrowded areas were the most affected by insufficient infrastructure. This congregation of poor in one area most likely added to the idea of urban cities as undesirable or un-livable. Having a clear delineation between wealthier and poorer areas also pushes more affluent people out of urban centers, or at least far enough away to separate themselves from the vast inequities in service. We see this forced accumulation again in the late 19th century when the idea of the “ghetto” forms. Ghettos being areas where racial/ethnic, religious, and other groups are isolated together. The creation of ghettos proliferates the idea that cultural characteristics can explain poverty; making those who live in ghettos at fault for their situation rather than a product of their environment. As well as making race responsible for poor living conditions rather than being caused by segregation and inequality. It is the lack of infrastructure, not necessarily the people within a community that make an undesirable place to
Due to this influx in population the current infrastructure was insufficient and services began to lag behind. This caused a series of problems with transportation, waste management, and insufficient/degraded housing. Due to urban areas often having the jobs immigrants desired these overcrowded areas were the most affected by insufficient infrastructure. This congregation of poor in one area most likely added to the idea of urban cities as undesirable or un-livable. Having a clear delineation between wealthier and poorer areas also pushes more affluent people out of urban centers, or at least far enough away to separate themselves from the vast inequities in service. We see this forced accumulation again in the late 19th century when the idea of the “ghetto” forms. Ghettos being areas where racial/ethnic, religious, and other groups are isolated together. The creation of ghettos proliferates the idea that cultural characteristics can explain poverty; making those who live in ghettos at fault for their situation rather than a product of their environment. As well as making race responsible for poor living conditions rather than being caused by segregation and inequality. It is the lack of infrastructure, not necessarily the people within a community that make an undesirable place to