Law and the Moral Geography of Urban Education

Authors

• Rebecca Horwitz-Willis, Boston College Law School

First Page

51

Abstract

In contemporary discussions, urban schools are often labeled as “bad,” while suburban schools are generally regarded as “good.” These assessments are typically based on achievement metrics, resource allocations, and the demographics of student populations. However, this Article offers a new lens through which to analyze the valuation of urban schools: the relationship between local vice regulation and what I term “educational geographies” in urban areas. Specifically, it argues that the location of vice institutions in cities has disproportionately impacted Black neighborhoods, thereby devaluing the educational geographies within these communities. These distributions do not just impact market value, but rather, also impact the perceived moral worth of different neighborhoods. By exploring how vice regulation has shaped the moral valuation of educational geographies, this Article uncovers how race-neutral regulatory practices have contributed to the differential valuation of schools based on race.

Drawing on novel archival research and interdisciplinary analysis, this Article examines the lasting effects of vice regulation during the Progressive Era in Chicago. It reveals how schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods were both racialized and devalued as protective vice regulations favored White neighborhoods. These historical processes have not only limited the resources available to Black schools but have also shaped the public perception of Black school spaces as morally inferior and quasi-criminal. To address the resource disparities that continue to affect Black schools today, it is essential to recognize how the legal framework of local land use regulation—built over a century of policy decisions—continues to shape educational inequality. Achieving a more equitable distribution of municipal burdens is therefore a necessary step toward ensuring more equitable valuations of public schools.

Recommended Citation

Rebecca Horwitz-Willis, Law and the Moral Geography of Urban Education, 30 Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 51 (2026).
Available at: https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/lclr/vol30/iss1/3