Proximate Landscapes of Economic Inclusion in Southeastern Pennsylvania

^*The authors would like to thank Dr. Barney Warf, two anonymous reviewers, and Charles Kaylor for their insightful comments that have greatly improved this article. Any remaining errors and oversights are our own.

Abstract

Although mainstream banking institutions offer a suite of benefits to patrons, the proportion of U.S. households that are unbanked and underbanked remains persistently high. This study examines the spatial relationship between alternative financial service providers (AFSPs) and banks and neighborhood demographics in southeastern Pennsylvania. Results from spatial regression analyses reveal that AFSPs are disproportionately located in close proximity to neighborhoods with comparatively lower levels of educational attainment and higher rates of subprime mortgage lending, whereas banks are disproportionately located in close proximity to neighborhoods with comparatively higher levels of income and educational attainment and a lower percentage of minority residents.

儘管主流的银行机构对顾客提供了一套优惠, 但不使用及缺乏银行服务的美国家户, 仍然维持着相当高的比例。本研究检视宾州东南部中, 另类金融服务提供者 (AFSPs) 、银行与邻里人口的空间关係。空间迴归分析的结果显示, AFSPs 不成比例地座落于教育成就相对较低、次级抵押贷款比例相对较高的邻里附近, 而银行则不成比例地座落于所得与教育成就相对较高、少数人口比例较低的邻里附近。

Si bien los bancos comunes ofrecen a sus clientes regulares un portafolio de beneficios, la proporción de hogares de los EE.UU. que carecen de servicios bancarios, o que solo los utilizan parcialmente, se mantiene persistentemente alta. En este estudio se examinan las relaciones espaciales entre proveedores de servicios financieros alternativos (AFSPs) y bancos, y la demografía de vecindarios en el sudeste de Pensilvania. Los resultados obtenidos por análisis espaciales de regresión revelan que los AFSP se hallan desproporcionalmente localizados en estrecha proximidad a vecindarios con niveles de educación comparativamente más bajos y tasas más altas por préstamos hipotecarios de categoría no preferencial, en tanto que los bancos están desproporcionalmente localizados en proximidad cercana a vecindarios con niveles de ingreso y educación comparativamente más altos y con un porcentaje más bajo de residentes de minorías.

Key Words::

• bank access
• economic inclusion
• spatial regression
• unbanked/underbanked
• urban inequality.

关键词::

• 获得银行服务之管道
• 经济融合
• 空间迴归
• 不使用 / 缺乏银行服务
• 城市不平等。

Palabras clave::

• acceso bancario
• inclusión económica
• regresión espacial
• servicio bancario pleno/servicio bancario parcial
• desigualdad urbana.

Notes

^* The authors would like to thank Dr. Barney Warf, two anonymous reviewers, and Charles Kaylor for their insightful comments that have greatly improved this article. Any remaining errors and oversights are our own.

¹These HMDA data files (http://www.metrotrends.org/natdata/hmda/hmda_download.cfm) and the procedures for constructing them were initially developed by the Urban Institute to support DataPlace (http://www.dataplace.org). The data are licensed under the Open Database License (http:/www.metrotrends.org/natdata/ODbL.cfm).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ian M. Dunham

IAN M. DUNHAM is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University, 1115 W. Berks St., 312 Gladfelter Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include economic development, technological innovation, methods of quantitative spatial analysis, and sustainability.

Alec Foster

ALEC FOSTER is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University, 1115 W. Berks St., 307 Gladfelter Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include urban geography, qualitative and quantitative spatial analysis, political ecology, and theories of identity.