Suburbanization had a lasting impact on housing segregation and led to "urban decay" where cities viewed cities and neglected areas. Governments met this issue with "urban renewal" policies which proceeded to further segregate neighborhoods. Today, many cities and suburbs remain segregated according to redlining policies from the latter half of the 20th century.

In Atlanta, before white flight, the black community had been “a silent partner” in politics, going along with whatever candidate the white elite chose (Kruse, 237). As the population shifted Atlanta to becoming a predominantly black city, the black community became more vocally involved in politics. Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown were prominent figures in Atlanta’s Black Power movement and lacked trust in the white establishment. This evident and expressive rejection of the white establishment politics of the city resulted in white moderates shifting to the right, increasing political division. In 1969, the “partnership” of the old Atlanta collapsed. The first black vice mayor was elected and the number of black aldermen increased from one to five (Kruse, 238). 

The case of Atlanta is that of many other cities. Silent partnerships transformed into active political and voting blocs that could better advocate for community needs. When established parties couldn’t collaborate or shift values to meet these needs, fissions grew. The city-suburb political divisions of today came in the wake of white flight.