1. When Jobs Disappear By William Julius Wilson (1996)

2. Definitions Poverty tracts: Census tracts in which at least 20 percent of residents live below the poverty line. Ghetto poverty tracts: Census tracts in which at least 40 percent of people are poor.

3. Ghetto poverty on the rise In major cities, 1 in 7 census tracts fits the description of ghetto poverty. This is twice as many as in 1970. About 85% of ghetto poor are minorities.

4. Case study: Chicago Author interviews residents of ghetto neighborhoods in Chicago’s South and West Sides, of whom three quarters say they’d prefer to live elsewhere. These were once prosperous, middle-class neighborhoods, until the exodus of jobs to the suburbs began.

5. Why jobs disappear Shift toward greater automation in manufacturing, which leads to fewer low- skilled jobs Companies move their facilities to cheaper suburban land, shifting remaining jobs away from inner city.

6. The result of the jobs exodus As middle-class residents flee, these neighborhoods become increasingly segregated, both socially and economically. Commerce evaporates, infrastructure crumbles, and unemployment skyrockets. The vast majority of working-age residents in these neighborhoods are unemployed.

7. Employment levels in the ghetto In the nation’s largest cities in a typical week in 1990, this chart shows the number of employed people for every 100 people who did not hold jobs. Ratio of unemployed to employed is 3 times greater in ghetto tracts than in non-ghetto tracts

8. Wilson’s proposed solutions Better vocational training in high schools. Wilson charges that high-school education is overly focused on college preparation and should take into greater account the needs of people who are unlikely to attend college. Government intervention to promote the return of low- and medium-skilled jobs to the inner city.

9. Where are the ghetto tracts in Los Angeles? Mainly clustered between the 110 Freeway and Alameda Street, including much of Downtown. A number of ghetto tracts west of the 110, including Pico Union and area around USC. A few in less obvious spots, such as on either side of the 405 in Westwood/Brentwood.

10. Poverty by census tract in L.A. Source: Census Bureau http://factfinder.census.gov/

11. Rent prices by census tract Source: Census Bureau http://factfinder.census.gov/