Investigating Urban Spatial Mismatch Using Job–Housing Indicators to Model Home–Work Separation

During the past four decades a great deal of research has been carried out investigating aspects of the spatial mismatch hypothesis. At its foundation, the notion of spatial mismatch is driven largely by social justice, as some groups are disproportionately disadvantaged by the patterns of metropolitan growth and development. We offer geographical insights into this dimension of spatial mismatch through an exploratory spatial analysis of metropolitan-scale home and work locations. This is achieved by developing a conceptual framework that synthesizes research on spatial mismatch and jobs–housing balance. Following this, a model is employed to detect home–work imbalances, controlling for race, ethnicity, and the mode of commute. The approach is applied to data on the residential and work locations for commuter groups in the Atlanta, GA metropolitan area. The results reveal how potential commute options differ across commuter groups and show that minority home–work alternatives are more spatially constrained.