LOCAL GATEKEEPING PRACTICES AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION

This article links the statistical data on residential segregation wit h the informal practices of individuals. Local gatekeeping practices c ontribute to the perpetuation of segregation and further explain the p atterns of macro-level analyses. This research focuses on the communit y of Greenpoint, a predominantly white, working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn. The study describes the strategies used by residents of Gree npoint to accomplish residential segregation and to maintain a predomi nantly white non-Hispanic neighborhood. The process of informal housin g networking is supported by the arrangements of local institutions.