Spatial Mismatch

In many American cities, residential segregation and the suburbanization of job opportunities combine to reduce geographical accessibility to employment for African-American, inner-city residents. This 'spatial mismatch' is generally thought to be an important cause of the high rates of poverty and unemployment in inner-city neighborhoods. This article examines how researchers evaluate spatial mismatch; the impacts of spatial mismatch on employment and earnings; the roles of transportation access, racial discrimination, and spatial job search in spatial mismatch; and the variation in mismatch across metropolitan areas. Strategies to ameliorate spatial mismatch, including housing, transportation, and economic development policies, are also discussed.