How Redlining Affects Health, Civil Rights, and More

In 1930, the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn was surveyed to be in low demand and undesirable. The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation gave this neighborhood a “D,”  the lowest grade possible, when evaluating the safety of mortgages and investment in the area. Noted in the report was the possible infiltration of minority populations in the neighborhood. This area today remains one of the most impoverished areas in Brooklyn. 

A few months ago, Kelly and Alexa published articles on the practice of redlining in the United States, and how it enhances racial disparities between different neighborhoods. These disparities can occur in education, districting, and gentrification. However, with the election just days ago and legislative redistricting on the horizon, it is imperative that we understand how redlining continues to impact low income and black communities in areas that are not typically acknowledged.

What is Redlining?

Redlining is a practice that evolved out of the New Deal, in which the government refused to back mortgages in neighborhoods that were deemed “unsafe”. The term redlining is derived from the government practice of outlining neighborhoods with unsafe mortgages in red on metropolitan area maps. During the Great Depression, the Federal Housing Association attempted to justify this by arguing that if African-American families bought homes surrounding suburbs and white neighborhoods, it would decrease the value of the white homes that the government was insuring. This resulted in African-American families being segregated into lower valued neighborhoods that remain isolated from wealthier metropolitan areas to this day. 

The Lasting Effects of Redlining on Today’s America

The discriminatory effects of redlining have historically been recognized and the practice of redlining is now illegal. However, the impacts of the disrcimination persist today, affecting both health and civil rights. 

Despite having been outlawed for over fifty years, redlining remains an aspect of the systemic racism that plagues the American system. Homeownership is “the number one method of accumulating wealth” in the United States today. However, because loans were not given out in redlined neighborhoods, this severely hindered families in these areas from being able to make money off of their property. In addition, redlined areas were starved of investment, and this deterioration often led to the phenomenon of white flight. 

There remains a pattern of racial and economic segregation in American neighborhoods today due to the impacts of redlining. Around 75 percent of the neighborhoods on previously redlined maps continue to struggle economically today. However, 91 percent of the neighborhoods marked as blue, or those that were deemed safe for loans, remain affluent and predominantly white. These redlined areas also typically have higher concentrations of black and other minority households, which often have lower median household incomes, home value, and rent. Redlining has remained a way for the 

Increasing Temperatures

One of the most surprising impacts that redlining has had on low income and black neighborhoods is temperature. A 2016 study done in Richmond, Virginia found that formerly redlined neighborhoods are, on average, 5 degrees hotter in the summer than areas that favored housing loans. Some cities even saw differences in temperature up to 12 degrees in these areas. Higher temperatures in these areas are due to the lack of trees and parks that help to cool the air during the summer. In addition, redlined neighborhoods often have more paved acreage, which radiate and absorb heat. In redlined districts, landlords rarely invested in green space, and as homeownership declined, there was less investment in building parks and other entertainment spaces. In Richmond, Virginia, the city often targeted these areas for industrial development and highway building, which inevitably resulted in less vegetation and more asphalt and concrete. Neighborhoods deemed “safe” for investment, however, were often lined with trees, and had “more clout to lobby city governments for tree-lined sidewalks and parks.”

With the increasing threat of global warming and summers growing gradually hotter, communities that are already vulnerable face increasing hardships. Often, higher temperatures mean higher energy bills for air conditioning. In low income communities, this can be difficult for many families. In addition, heat kills 12,000 people on average each year, and living in these neighborhoods increases health risks. Residents in these areas often have health issues including high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes, all of which can be worsened by consistent, intense heat. For those who have difficulty affording healthcare, this can be very financially difficult. In addition, redlined neighborhoods often do not have doctors offices or grocery stores within walking distance. For residents that do not have cars, this can worsen health issues. 

Access to Voting 

Racial disparities in our voting system have been highly scrutinized, especially during the most recent presidential election. With the combination of voter ID laws and discrimination through mail-in ballots, there are many reasons that Black Americans and People of Color have had trouble making sure their political voices are heard.

Redlining has also contributed to voter suppression in the United States in low income and Black neighborhoods. Because of the residual effects of redlining, redlining can determine how many resources are given to certain neighborhoods, and how “voting is carried out in specific precincts.” In Georgia for example, neighborhoods are often funded by property taxes. If a neighborhood has inherently less property value, the total taxes amassed from that neighborhood will be lower, and that neighborhood will receive less funding. In terms of voting precincts, this often means less voting stations and longer lines for low income voters. 

These neighborhoods are often more populated than wealthy neighborhoods, and the combination of fewer voting stations and high populations create very long lines on election day. For adults who cannot afford to take off work, this can present a problem and can result in the inability to vote. In addition, for residents who do not have cars, this can also present a problem if there aren’t polling stations convenient to them. Because of the residual effects of redlining, low income and minority votes can be suppressed in many places, which not only takes away a civil right, but can change the outcome of local and state elections. 

Why the Effects of Redlining Matter

The racial divide in the United States has been the focus of many American’s lives this year. With the increasing popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement and this year’s presidential election, this year has been fundamental in shaping our understanding of the systemic racism that permeates American society. 

However, it is important that we do not just focus on the issues that are right in front of us, but also those that remain prevalent even if they seem to be resolved. Redlining is an issue that continues to cause racial inequities economically and politically. Neighborhoods that fell victim to redlining continue to be marginalized and remain in a cycle of poverty, exacerbated by school districting and property taxes. Not only this, but the health of the residents are impacted by the lack of green space, and voting rights are being thwarted in major elections. 

In the coming years, it is imperative that we are able to create policies that combat the residual effects of redlining, and make sure that we remain conscious of the past racial laws that continue to influence racial inequality. To learn more about redlining and its history, check out The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein, or Redlined: A Memoir of Race, Change, and Fractured Community in 1960s Chicago by Linda Gartz.

effects of redlining poverty; effects of redlining on health