Federal government Quote by Richard Rothstein
““If government had declined to build racially separate public housing in cities where segregation hadn’t previously taken root, and instead had scattered integrated developments throughout the community, those cities might have developed in a less racially toxic fashion, with fewer desperate ghettos and more diverse suburbs. If the federal government had not urged suburbs to adopt exclusionary zoning laws, white flight would have been minimized because there would have been fewer racially exclusive suburbs to which frightened homeowners could flee.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, 2017
Segregation policies shaped housing patterns; alternative inclusive zoning could have reduced racial division and poverty.
In simple terms: Housing policies caused segregation; inclusive policies might have lessened it.
Key Takeaway
Consider how zoning choices affect community diversity.
Themes
housing policy
segregation
urban planning
racial equity
Mood
reflective
concerned
Type
policy
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- city planning
- public housing development
- community advocacy
- legal reform
Key Concepts
redlining
exclusionary zoning
suburbanization
Questions to Reflect On
- What zoning changes could promote integration today?
- How might communities overcome existing segregation legacies?
A Different Perspective
Implementation of inclusive zoning faces political resistance and entrenched interests.
![“[States and the Federal government are] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/401/thomas-jefferson-43_branches_states-and-the-federal-government-are-co_2619.jpg)
