Local Gatekeeping Practices and Residential Segregation*

This article links the statistical data on residential segregation with the informal practices of individuals. Local gatekeeping practices contribute to the perpetuation of segregation and further explain the patterns of macro‐level analyses. This research focuses on the community of Greenpoint, a predominantly white, working‐class neighborhood in Brooklyn. The study describes the strategies used by residents of Greenpoint to accomplish residential segregation and to maintain a predominantly white non‐Hispanic neighborhood. The process of informal housing networking is supported by the arrangements of local institutions.