Residential Segregation - Black/White in Ohio

Ohio

Residential segregation affects several social drivers of health, including socioeconomic mobility and access to quality schools, good jobs and healthy food. Segregation can also create areas of concentrated exposure to physical and environmental hazards, such as unsafe housing conditions, air pollution and limited access to green space. 

Research consistently links higher levels of segregation to adverse health outcomes, including maternal and birth complications, obesity, and persistent health disparities between Black and white populations. Living in more segregated neighborhoods has been associated with lower self-rated health among both Black and white children.

Black communities experience consistent health disparities and economic disadvantages associated with residential segregation, while Latino populations increasingly face segregated urban conditions that limit educational and economic opportunities.

Strategies to reduce racial segregation and its impact include:

• Promoting racial equity in housing and community development by integrating equitable practices for transparency, community engagement and collaborative planning into affordable housing strategies, such as housing subsidy programs.
• Implementing place-based special purpose credit programs that enable banks to extend favorable credit to economically disadvantaged borrowers with common characteristics (the special purpose), such as race or income, in distinct geographic areas. 
• Supporting and funding shared equity homeownership programs, which control the resale price of affordable housing each time it is sold to maintain housing affordability in a community. 

Alexander, Diane, and Janet Currie. “Is It Who You Are or Where You Live? Residential Segregation and Racial Gaps in Childhood Asthma.” Journal of Health Economics 55 (September 2017): 186–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.07.003.

Matthew, Dayna Bowen, Edward Rodrigue, and Richard V. Reeves. Time for Justice: Tackling Race Inequalities in Health and Housing. Brief. Brookings Big Ideas for America. Brookings. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/time-for-justice-tackling-race-inequalities-in-health-and-housing/.

Osei Owusu, Rexford, and Alessandro Rigolon. “What Has Contributed to Green Space Inequities in U.S. Cities? A Narrative Review.” Journal of Planning Literature 40, no. 1 (February 1, 2025): 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122241269981.

Sacks, Vanessa. 5 Ways Neighborhoods of Concentrated Disadvantage Harm Children. Research Brief. Child Trends, February 14, 2018. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/5-ways-neighborhoods-of-concentrated-disadvantage-harm-children.

Steil, Justin, and Mariana Arcaya. Residential Segregation And Health: History, Harms, And Next Steps. Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, April 27, 2023. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/residential-segregation-and-health-history-harms-and-next-steps.

Steil, Justin, and Michael Lens. Public Policies To Address Residential Segregation And Improve Health. Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, April 27, 2023. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/public-policies-address-residential-segregation-and-improve-health.

Wang, Guangyi, Gabriel L. Schwartz, Kiarri N. Kershaw, Cyanna McGowan, Min Hee Kim, and Rita Hamad. “The Association of Residential Racial Segregation with Health among U.S. Children: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study.” SSM - Population Health 19 (September 2022): 101250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101250.

Woo, Bongki, Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, Victoria Sass, Kyle Crowder, Samantha Teixeira, and David T. Takeuchi. “Residential Segregation and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Ambient Air Pollution.” Race and Social Problems 11, no. 1 (March 1, 2019): 60–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-018-9254-0.