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Furman research, data inform series on income, housing gaps

A rendering of a completed Unity Park

Last updated January 9, 2023

By Tina Underwood

In a Greenville News series, “The Cost of Unity,” a team of reporters sheds light on the income and housing gap in the City of Greenville. One story in the series spotlights the plight of Sharon Logan who was evicted from her apartment because she could no longer afford the rent, which doubled at Southernside’s Brockwood Senior Housing.

For the story, the team leaned on research by Furman University. Over the last 30 years, the data shows a 60% decrease in Black population in the Southernside community. It also reveals a disparity in household income – the median income for white households is now 312% higher than Black households.

“Racial Displacement in Greenville, SC,” was prepared by The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman. The research team includes Ken Kolb, chair and professor of sociology; Mike Winiski, director, Center for Applied Sustainability Research; and alumni Sam Hayes ’20 (history and politics and international affairs), GIS analyst and project coordinator; Catherine Lippert ’20 (sustainability science), GIS analyst and project coordinator; and Sydney Andersen ’22 (sustainability science), postbaccalaureate GIS analyst and data specialist.

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