Redlining map of Kansas City (1939)
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:09 am
Found this map today, which I'm sure many of you have seen. It depicts neighborhoods of KCMO circa 1939 with different grades (A, B, C, & D) used by Fed. government during New Deal era to determine riskiness of loans. The use of the maps are seen as a major catalyst in housing segregation, the decline of urban areas, and white flight to the suburbs.
What I had not realized until now, is that there were full descriptions provided by the surveyors giving their rationale. There's lots of racism, classism, but they also did look at how houses were built & nearby infrastructure. Feels not too removed from "scores" you see on Zillow or Redfin actually minus the overt racism.
I find even just looking at how the city was built out circa 1939. One thing I'm curious of is why it looks like some developed areas have no grade - were there no sfh at that time, or maybe the area was old enough that not many people were seeking mortgages?
Anyway, here's the link, it's worth spending a few hours on:
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redli ... ty/context
What I had not realized until now, is that there were full descriptions provided by the surveyors giving their rationale. There's lots of racism, classism, but they also did look at how houses were built & nearby infrastructure. Feels not too removed from "scores" you see on Zillow or Redfin actually minus the overt racism.
I find even just looking at how the city was built out circa 1939. One thing I'm curious of is why it looks like some developed areas have no grade - were there no sfh at that time, or maybe the area was old enough that not many people were seeking mortgages?
Anyway, here's the link, it's worth spending a few hours on:
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redli ... ty/context