Title: How Redlining Communities Affects Health - Geography Realm
Headings: How Redlining Communities Affects Health
How Redlining Communities Affects Health
The Health Effects of Redlining
Redlining Leads to More Foreclosures
Breast Cancer Rates and Redlining
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Content: How Redlining Communities Affects Health - Geography Realm
How Redlining Communities Affects Health
While segregation and other discriminatory practices have long been illegal in the United States, the long-term effects of this and informal discrimination and redlining of communities, through discriminatory mortgage lending in particular, has taken a toll on health of individuals in different communities. Redlining still occurs but now new methods have also been created to measure inequality to housing and health so that they can be empirically demonstrated, although it is unclear what actions are being taken by government and others potentially involved in redlining. The Health Effects of Redlining
A recent investigation into redlined communities in California has shown that such communities, where residents were effectively segregated into specific neighborhoods based on race, have faced greater health risks than other communities where redlining did not occur. This includes higher incidents of asthma for redlined areas with higher visits to the emergency room than comparable areas. Race and social class were used to keep people within predefined or designated areas that lenders were willing to provide resources for borrowers. The roots of redlining in California and elsewhere go back to the Great Depression era in the 1930s, when neighborhoods were defined by lending or investment risk using race and class. These neighborhoods faced historically higher rates of pollution, including more exposure to diesel and other pollutants from transport and factories, resulting in the higher rates of asthma. [ 1]
Side-by-side maps highlight the reverse correlation between Home Owner’s Loan Corporation rating (green indicating “best,” blue indicating “still desirable,” yellow indicating “definitely declining” and red indicating “hazardous.” ) and asthma-related emergency room visits per 10,000 residents. Maps: