Spatial Assimilation

The theory of spatial assimilation explains that minority groups will eventually move into neighborhoods that are less segregated, has better resources and higher prestige, as their socioeconomic status rises. Regardless of what country you live this theory will absolutely make sense. It is only normal to acquire the finer things in life. When living in a neighborhood that is worst off than others, greater effort and labor will be needed to ensure a good education. Persons from other countries will tend to move into areas where their ethnic groups dominate. Overtime this will cause deterioration of living conditions. Pollution could become a problem. Resources may become low. This is where the theory of spatial assimilation may come in. Persons who have achieved some amount of wealth will tend to move out of these areas in order to make life easier for their kids and to give them a life they were not able to have. According to Marx Weber, he believes it’s the physical environment around a person that allows them to be successful. Many persons do share this idea.

Sociologists frequently have studied the extent of residential segregation of different groups by calculating and comparing what are called indexes of dissimilarity. These indexes may range from a low of 0 (No Segregation) to a high of 100 (Complete Segregation). As the years have passed Blacks have been moving away from places of high levels of Segregation.

My landlord is a perfect example of this. He came to America at the age of nineteen. He worked as a courier and did a few more odd jobs to make ends meet. He first settled in the Jamaica area of Queens, NY. He continued to work, got married and had two kids. At this point he became better off and moved to the Elmont Area of Nassau County to live. This is still a fairly Black Community but not in the core of things. Just recently he bought a house in the Westbury Hills Area of Long Island. This move will put him further away