More on "What caused Ferguson?" book discussion

(Yesterday we told you about plans for a book group in Decorah to read University of Iowa professor Colin Gordon's book about how housing and zoning policies in St. Louis were used to keep races apart)

Colin Gordon is not surprised there were problems last year in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, MIssouri.  Gordon looked at what he calls "historical GIS" information to put together maps showing how people of different races and income levels were kept separated in the St. Louis area.

"The moment I stepped into that, the more I realized this was being shaped by an earlier history (of segregation,)" he tells decorahnews.com.  Gordon says laws were used to protect restricted neighborhoods, as were redevelopment strategies.

His research was conducted in 2004 and 2005, which meant he was among the first to use GIS maps to show the results of research.  "It wasn't possible to do this before," he says.  Now the use of on-line platforms is common.  It is even affecting the publishing industry because publishers can direct readers to websites where such information is posted.

Gordon tells decorahnews.com there has been renewed interest in his book following the protests in Ferguson.  The Luther College Center for Ethics and Public Life and the Diversity Center are sponsoring book discussions of Gordon's book "Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City" three Thursday afternoons in a row starting February 26th.  Gordon will join the book discussion on March 12th, prior to a public lecture at 7:00 p.m.

Contact Stu Johnston at johnstst@luther.edu with any questions about the book discussions..