Category: Reports

Quarterly Report on Race and Income Composition of Southern California Neighborhoods

The neighborhoods we live in are important, as they are the locations of our daily activities. Nonetheless, there are differences in the characteristics of neighborhoods across any city or region. Our goal in this Report is to better understand the differences between neighborhoods. In particular, we are interested in understanding the differences in neighborhoods based on the socio-economic status of the household, as well as the racial/ethnic composition of the household. This better understanding can shed light on any possible inequalities that may exist and require policy attention. Furthermore, by taking a long-term view to this question—by studying the region from 1980 to present—we are able to provide insight on what types of changes have occurred in these neighborhoods over this period of time.

Download the full report here (.pdf)

 

Quarterly Report on Business Relocations in Southern California

Business recruitment has long been one of the most popular strategies for state and local economic development in the US, but little is understood about the precise physical location of business moves, such as the surrounding neighborhoods and how far away a firm relocates.  This Report takes a spatially precise approach toward analyzing business relocations in the seven-county Southern California region from 1997-2014. We analyze moves within cities and across city boundaries, as well as the characteristics of the neighborhoods which businesses leave – and move to.

Download the full report here (.pdf).  Register for the webinar covering this report on 8/15/2017 here.

Read the report on Jobs-Housing Balance in Egohoods in Southern California

A challenge for any region is matching the location of where residents live and where jobs are located.  On the one hand, residents typically prefer not to be too close to industrial or commercial sites.  On the other hand, residents typically do not want to be too far from jobs, as this implies longer commute times. This report highlights trends in jobs-housing balance in Southern California since 2002 and offers some methodological improvements in analyzing this indicator of urban sustainability.

Download the full report here.

 

Read the report on Neighborhood Mixing and Economic Dynamism

We typically think of neighborhoods as fairly homogeneous areas within cities.  Nonetheless, some neighborhoods are highly mixed and others are not based on things like income, racial composition, age, land use, and the type of housing they contain.  We analyze mixing across these dimensions in Southern California, then ask what are the consequences of mixing for economic dynamism in neighborhoods.  Explore this report using our web mapping application, or download the full report.

 

Read the report on Detecting Job Density Over Time

The Los Angeles region is a classic example of a “polycentric metropolis” that is characterized by several centers of job density instead of a single, dominant downtown.  This report examines how employment subcenters have been evolving since the 1990s in terms of their changing composition and spatial locations. Download the full report here.

Read the report on Understanding Business Churning Dynamics and their Spatial Variation

While job growth in a region is crucially important, the dynamic of business creation and business closure can reveal a lot about a region’s economy.  Does churning lead to “creative destruction” and a more efficient economy in the long-run or might it have negative consequences, especially in certain neighborhoods?  This report analyzes business churning at the neighborhood level across Southern California with an eye toward socio-demographic characteristics and local measures of well-being. Download the full report here.

Second Regional Progress Report

mfi_cover_imageThe 2014 Southern California Regional Progress Report was prepared by researchers with the School of Social Ecology’s Metropolitan Futures Initiative, which aims to build a base of knowledge to guide policymakers in improving the overall quality of life in the Southland.  It is the second installment in a biennial series of Regional Progress Reports.

Continue Reading Second Regional Progress Report