Chapter 13 Learning Guide – Urban Patterns
Key Issue 3 – Why Do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems?
Pgs. 418 – 423
1. Complete this statement regarding the basic problems of the inner city:
“Inner cities in the United States contain concentrations of _______________________
people with a variety of physical, _____________________, and _________________________
problems very different from those faced by __________________________ residents.”
Inner City Physical Issues
2. What is the major problem faced by inner-city residents?
3. Describe the inner-city process known as filtering.
4. What is the ultimate result of this process?
5. What is redlining and its result?
6. What is urban renewal?
7. Why has urban renewal been criticized?
8. Complete the chart below regarding public housing.
Public Housing
Who builds & maintains it?
Percentage in the U.S.
Reasons high-rise public
housing is unsatisfactory
How are recent public housing
projects different?
9. Define gentrification:
10. What three (3) groups are attracted to gentrified areas and why?
11. Why has gentrification been criticized?
Inner-City Social Issues
12. Complete the statement regarding the population in the inner-city:
“Inner-city residents frequently are referred to as a permanent ____________________
because they are _______________________ in an unending ____________________ of
economic and social _________________________.”
13. List and briefly describe four (4) specific social problems of the underclass.
Inner-City Economic Issues
14. What financial crisis does the high proportion of low-income residents in the
inner city create?
15. Explain the two (2) choices a city has in order to solve this problem.
16. What two (2) things are happening to homeowners who have been unable to
repay their subprime loans?
Chapter 13 Learning Guide – Urban Patterns
Key Issue 3 – Why Do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems?
Pgs. 418 – 423
1. Complete this statement regarding the basic problems of the inner city:
“Inner cities in the United States contain concentrations of ___low income____
people with a variety of physical, ___social___, and ____economic___ problems
very different from those faced by ____suburban____ residents.”
Inner City Physical Issues
2. What is the major problem faced by inner-city residents?
Poor condition of housing
3. Describe the inner-city process known as filtering.
Large home that are subdivided into smaller dwellings for low-income
families
4. What is the ultimate result of this process?
Building will deteriorate & become uninhabitable; even the poorest people
won’t rent & the property is left abandoned
5. What is redlining and its result?
When banks draw lines on a map where they will refuse to loan money &
it’s difficult for families to borrow money to fix up houses
6. What is urban renewal?
Where city buys properties in inner-city from private owners, relocates the
residents & businesses, clears the land & new buildings & services are
constructed
7. Why has urban renewal been criticized?
Destroys social cohesion of older neighborhoods & reduces supply of low
cost housing
8. Complete the chart below regarding public housing.
Who builds & maintains it?
Public Housing
Federal Government
Percentage in the U.S.
1%
Reasons high-rise public
housing is unsatisfactory
Elevators broken
Juveniles terrorize residents
Drug use & high crime
How are recent public housing Support for renovation of older public
projects different?
housing & voucher program helps pay rent
in private housing
9. Define gentrification:
When middle class people move into deteriorated inner-city
neighborhoods & renovate the housing
10. What three (3) groups are attracted to gentrified areas and why?
- Middle class families wanting larger homes at a cheaper price
- Middle class people who want to live closer to work downtown
- Single people seeking proximity to cultural facilities & aren’t concerned
with quality of schools
11. Why has gentrification been criticized?
Middle class are getting subsidies at expense of low income people who are
forced to move out of gentrified neighborhoods
Inner-City Social Issues
12. Complete the statement regarding the population in the inner-city:
“Inner-city residents frequently are referred to as a permanent __underclass____
because they are ____trapped__ in an unending ____cycle__ of economic and social
____problems____.”
13. List and briefly describe four (4) specific social problems of the underclass.
-
Poor education: don’t complete school & unable to get jobs
Homelessness: unable to afford housing due to no regular income
Poverty: unwed mothers with absentee fathers & no monetary support
Drugs: many turn to crimes & gangs to get money for drugs
Inner-City Economic Issues
14. What financial crisis does the high proportion of low-income residents in the
inner city create?
Growing gap between costs of needed services & availability of funds to
pay for them
15. Explain the two (2) choices a city has in order to solve this problem.
-
Reduce services: close libraries, don’t replace school equipment, cut
busing
Raise tax revenues: Provide breaks to downtown businesses that will
hire minimum wage workers & eventually pay more in taxes
16. What two (2) things are happening to homeowners who have been unable to
repay their subprime loans?
Foreclosure & mortgages exceed the value of the homes