Redlining refers to a longstanding practice beginning in the United States in the 1930s that denied mortgages to people based on color-coded maps generated by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation. Neighborhoods deemed "hazardous" for real estate investment were outlined in red, evaluated almost solely based on the racial makeup of its residents. Redlining has led to dramatic housing segregation and lasting racial disparities in access to essentials including health care, educational resources, and infrastructure that are still felt today.
In last week's post, we discussed how the urban heat island effect can create dramatic temperature differences between urban and rural areas. Yet similar temperature differences can arise within a single city depending on the makeup of its built environment.
A recent study by Hoffman and coauthors revealed that redlined neighborhoods in many major US cities were drastically warmer than surrounding neighborhoods. Historically, non-redlined areas have been filled with trees and parks that help cool the local climate, while redlined neighborhoods feature densely constructed roads and buildings whose dark materials hold on to heat.
As our climate continues to change and extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, racial disparities in exposure to their health and economic impacts will only widen. Cities' environmental plans for the future must feature equity-centered policies that recognize and alleviate these disproportionate climate impacts.
Source: Hoffman et al. 2020. The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas, Climate, 8(1), 12.