While housing discrimination is illegal, Greater Cincinnatians still live, for the most part, in racially segregated neighborhoods. Zane Miller, a Charles Phelps Taft professor of history emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, says this historical housing pattern creates mistrust and a lack of interaction among blacks and whites today.

        In his most recent book, Visions of Place: The City, Neighborhoods, Suburbs and Cincinnati's Clifton, 1850-2000, Mr. Miller argues that chronic problems such as police-community relations, unemployment, education and poverty among blacks will persist unless neighborhoods are integrated.

        He spoke with Enquirer reporter Ken Alltucker.

        QUESTION: The Enquirer poll shows solid white and black support for diverse neighborhoods. What does this say to you?

        ANSWER: I'm encouraged. As you know, I don't think whites are absolutely being forthcoming on that. (But) if we can make available more racially integrated neighborhoods -- make it clear that most neighborhoods are welcome to persons of another color -- then those who choose to live in segregated neighborhoods know that they really did it voluntarily.

        Q: Are there any neighborhoods you see becoming more integrated? There has been a dramatic remake of the West End, and the city is establishing a comprehensive plan for Over-the-Rhine.

        A: They are kind of a testing ground because they are being done by government and private sector. The evidence so far in the West End is good; the Betts-Longworth subdivision has worked out very nicely. In addition, I think there are other neighborhoods that have hope, like Winton Woods and Northside -- neighborhoods not in the inner city, but close to the inner city.

        Q: Why should someone who lives and works in Deerfield Township care about racial tensions in the city?

        A: Racial tensions undermine the metropolitan area as a whole. It means employers have second thoughts. People are reluctant about sending their kids to schools in Cincinnati and Cincinnati institutions of all kinds.

        This constant cross fire over race relations diverts attention on other questions like housing, education and poverty, even Social Security and Medicare. All this stuff gets caught up in this racial cross fire. And those issues get distorted.

        Q: Does Cincinnati have a race problem, or a poverty and economic disparity problem?

        A: The city does have a poverty problem, as well as a racial problem. Both stem from the flight of upper-income whites in the '50s and '60s. They took financial resources from the city. They took potential civic and political leadership. These are the people who had the resources and time to be civic leaders. They are removed from direct action.

        If we leave unchallenged the degree of racial residential segregation we have now, we will still have racial tensions, resentment and fear.

ONLINE EXTRA: Complete poll results and PDF of the report

Good intentions, but not next door
Race forum tonight
About this series
North Avondale works to keep racial balance
Racial separation slows other progress
Tell us what you think
How this poll was done