Understanding Redlining and Its Impacts

New documentary explores the long-lasting impacts of redlining on local communities in Ohio.

The practice of redlining originated in the 1930s and was deemed illegal with the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHAct) of 1968, but has had lasting ramifications.

Redlining: A discriminatory practice of denying loans or services within a specific geographic area due to the race or ethnicity of its residents. On maps these 'high risk' areas were literally outlined in red.

Redlining: Mapping Inequality in Dayton and Springfield, an hour-long PBS documentary that aired last month, explores how the practice was used to deny access to homeownership. Although now illegal, historically redlined communities today continue to feel the effects through minimum loan requirements, predatory lending practices, reduced life expectancies, and limited access to education and wealth. As stated in the documentary, "Maps continue to tell the story."

Hear from individuals who have suffered personally due to the practice of redlining and how it continues to impact future generations.

Watch & Learn More

Watch the documentary

Redlining: Mapping Inequiality in Dayton & Springfield

Explore additional resources to learn the legacy of redlining

Urban Heat Management and the Legacy of Redlining, Uncovering JAPA

"Eliminating Racial Segregation is Good Economic Policy," Planning

Grappling with the Racist Legacy of Zoning, Zoning Practice

Top Image: Open housing demonstration in Seattle, 1963. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, Seattle Municipal Archives.


About the author
Roberta Rewers is APA's communications manager.

March 8, 2022