Understanding residential mobility in Massachusetts to better target place-based policies

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published a new issue brief on residential mobility and neighborhood poverty, particularly in “gateway cities,” in Massachusetts from 2000-2016. “Gateway cities” are former manufacturing centers that historically served as gateways to the “American dream” and are characterized by large low-income and immigrant populations, affordable housing stocks, and established infrastructure. These cities—including Lowell, Haverhill, Worcester, and Pittsfield, MA— have faced challenges with population and job loss and their anticipated revival has been quashed by the pandemic. This research shows that even before the pandemic, residents in gateway cities were less able to move to lower-poverty neighborhoods than were other Massachusetts residents. Residents in higher-poverty neighborhoods who are unable to access lower-poverty neighborhoods have lower access to critical economic, health, and educational resources. Authors propose that this pre-pandemic pattern emphasizes the importance of targeted policies and assistance in places where residents are less able to weather the pandemic. #housing #education