White flight in Los Angeles county, 1960-1990: A model of fuzzy tipping

Schelling's (J Math Sociol 1:143-186, 1971) tipping model is a classic model of racial residential segregation. In this paper, the Schelling original is translated into a fuzzy set version and tested against demographic census data in Los Angeles county from 1960 to 1990. Results of nonlinear least squares regressions indicate that the tipping point has shifted from around 0. 36 between 1960 and 1970 to 0. 78 between 1980 and 1990. Regression results also suggest a constantly decreasing extent of White flight in the census tract level. These findings confirm the existence of the fuzzy tipping mechanism. They also reflect steady progression toward racially integrated urban residential pattern in Los Angles county from 1960 to 1990.