Greater Cincinnati is the eighth-most racially segregated metropolitan region in the nation, U.S. Census figures show.

        There would need to be a massive shift of black residents to mainly white suburbs or a reversal of a decades-long trend of white flight from the city for Cincinnati to be racially balanced.

        But some fear the widespread property damage and racial tension sparked by this week's riots will prompt more white people to leave the city or discourage others from moving back.

        “I would be fearful that what is happening now would lead to an outmigration of both middle-income whites and blacks,” said David Varady, a University of Cincinnati planning professor.

        A commonly used measure of segregation — the so-called “dissimilarity index” — shows three of four Cincinnati blacks would need to move from their neighborhoods to whiter neighborhoods to create a balanced mix of black and white residents. Yet Cincinnati's widespread racial separation is not uncommon in the Midwest — the nation's most segregated region.

Detroit most segregated

        Cities with a greater “dissimilarity” index rating than Cincinnati have much in common with the Queen City, including older established neighborhoods and slow growth. Cincinnati's rating is 74.2 percent.

        Detroit is the nation's most segregated city, with an 84 percent rating, followed by Milwaukee; Gary, Ind.; Chicago; Cleveland; Flint, Mich. and Buffalo, N.Y.

        A Brookings Institution study says western and

        southern states with newer cities have less segregation. Blacks and whites who move to these cities tend to earn higher incomes and are able to live in the same neighborhoods.

        Greater Cincinnati's suburbs, meanwhile, are predominantly white. Many of Cincinnati's white residents moved to suburban Butler, Warren and Clermont counties over the past decade. The city lost nearly 45,000 whites in 1990s — leaving behind a city that is now 43 percent black — up from 38 percent in 1990.

        Mark Carrozza, who heads the Southwest Ohio Regional Data Center, said income is a bigger factor than race in the region's migration patterns. But far fewer blacks than whites left the city for the suburbs in the 1990s.

        Neighborhoods that suffered the most extensive damage from this week's rioting — Avondale, Bond Hill, Madisonville, Over-the-Rhine and the West End — are mostly black. But in those five neighborhoods, the black population also has dropped since 1990 — an indication that wealthier blacks have moved, too.

        Excessive police force is just one of many concerns expressed by African-Americans in these neighborhoods, said the Rev. Damon Lynch III, pastor of New Prospect Baptist Church. The city and its corporations must work to spread more prosperity in these areas, he said.

        That means delaying costly projects that will have little benefit for poorer residents, such as light rail, convention center expansion and riverfront development, he believes.

        “I think the violence is over,” the Rev. Mr. Lynch said. “But there still needs to be changes.”

        The Rev. Mr. Lynch said Mayor Charlie Luken hasn't lost the confidence of the African-American community yet. A lot depends on whether he emphasizes neighborhood development and backs up his pledge to make race relations his top priority.

        Mr. Luken reaffirmed Friday that he's committed to improving race relations.

        “People always expect that the convention center or building a Nordstrom” are main objectives, Mr. Luken said. “Those issues pale in comparison.”

Business commitment

        The riots have captured the attention of business leaders, Mr. Luken said. They have pledged training, jobs and other programs to help spread more wealth to the neighborhoods.

        Mr. Carrozza said the city will have to work hard to bolster its job base in the wake of the riots. That means assuring businesses such as Giminetti Baking Co. that Cincinnati is a safe place to do business.

        Giminetti operates a retail store and wholesale bakery in Walnut Hills. Rioters peppered the bakery's front windows with rocks and other objects Wednesday night.

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