Traditional explanations of metropolitan development and urban racial
segregation have emphasized the role of consumer demand and market
dynamics. In the first edition of Race, Real Estate, and Uneven
Development Kevin Fox Gotham reexamined the assumptions behind these
explanations and offered a provocative new thesis. Using the Kansas City
metropolitan area as a case study, Gotham provided both quantitative and
qualitative documentation of the role of the real estate industry and
the Federal Housing Administration, demonstrating how these institutions
have promulgated racial residential segregation and uneven development.
Gotham challenged contemporary explanations while providing fresh
insights into the racialization of metropolitan space, the interlocking
dimensions of class and race in metropolitan development, and the
importance of analyzing housing as a system of social stratification. In
this second edition, he includes new material that explains the racially
unequal impact of the subprime real estate crisis that began in late
2007, and explains why racial disparities in housing and lending remain
despite the passage of fair housing laws and antidiscrimination
statutes.