{"692612":{"#nid":"692612","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Hidden Cost of Segregation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmadi and Brown find that neighborhoods with higher shares of Black residents experience \u003Cstrong\u003Ehigher energy burdens\u003C\/strong\u003E, even after accounting for factors such as income, renter status, and housing characteristics. In this study, energy burden refers mainly to the share of household income spent on electricity, gas, and water. The authors estimate that an \u003Cstrong\u003Eapproximately 11 percentage-point increase in a neighborhood\u2019s Black population share is associated with about a 1 percentage-point increase in household energy burden\u003C\/strong\u003E, equal to an \u003Cstrong\u003Eaverage annual increase of about $785\u003C\/strong\u003E in utility costs. These findings suggest that unequal energy burdens are tied not only to household finances, but also to the lasting effects of segregation and discrimination.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the EPIcenter Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study by EPIcenter affiliate Marilyn A. Brown and coauthor Majid Ahmadi examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:13:04","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:16:17","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681162":{"id":"681162","type":"image","title":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1789564394","gmt_created":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","changed":"1789564394","gmt_changed":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","alt":"View of downtown Atlanta from surrounding neighborhoods","file":{"fid":"265524","name":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":234674,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg?itok=aHc3ftw3"}}},"media_ids":["681162"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/","title":"Full Story on the EPIcenter Webpage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ggonzalez68@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGil Gonzalez\u003C\/a\u003E, Program Coordinator,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EEnergy Policy and Innovation Center\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}