The fundamental problem with the Chicago School in terms of the ghetto was its inability to
◦ distinguish between voluntary action or coercive action as causes of the ghetto.
◦ predict that African American segregation in ghettos would be temporary.
◦ understand the all immigrant groups went through the assimilation process and that the ghetto was just a stage in that process that would soon be superseded by enclaves.
◦ realize that the move from highly centralized inner-city neighborhoods to dispersed suburban communities was not inevitable.