It Could Have Been Us - An Overview of Redlining in Baltimore, Maryland
The history of redlining in Baltimore, Maryland, is both significant and illustrative of the broader systemic racism that shaped urban development across the United States. Baltimore played a key role in the evolution of racially discriminatory housing policies. Here’s a detailed outline of that history:
I. Early Roots of Housing Segregation in Baltimore
A.
Nation’s First Racial Zoning Law (1910)
In 1910, Baltimore became the first U.S. city to pass a racial zoning ordinance, mandating that Black residents could not move onto blocks where whites were the majority and vice versa.
This ordinance was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1917 (Buchanan v. Warley), but the mindset and intent behind it continued in subtler forms.
B.
Restrictive Covenants (1920s–1940s)
Private contracts called restrictive covenants were widely used to prevent Black people and other minorities from buying or renting homes in white neighborhoods.
These covenants were supported by real estate boards and neighborhood associations, often promoted by the Baltimore Real Estate Board.
The Supreme Court declared such covenants unenforceable in 1948 (Shelley v. Kraemer), though they remained influential.
II. Federal Redlining and the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC)
A.
1930s HOLC “Residential Security Maps”
The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) created maps of U.S. cities in the 1930s to assess the risk of mortgage lending. Baltimore’s map (1937) is a stark example.
Neighborhoods were color-coded:
Green (“Best”) – Wealthy, white, new suburbs.
Blue (“Still Desirable”)
Yellow (“Definitely Declining”)
Red (“Hazardous”) – Usually older, inner-city areas with Black or immigrant populations.
The red areas were denied access to mortgage loans—this is where the term “redlining” comes from.
B.
Impact on Baltimore
Virtually all Black neighborhoods in Baltimore were redlined.
Black families could not access federally backed home loans, driving disinvestment in those communities.
The map institutionalized racial segregation and underdevelopment.
III. Post-WWII Suburbanization and Segregation
A.
White Flight and Suburban Growth
Federal policies like the GI Bill and FHA loans enabled white families to move to suburban developments (like Levittown, MD, and others), while Black families were excluded.
Baltimore’s Black residents were confined to aging, overcrowded inner-city areas.
B.
Urban Renewal and Displacement
“Urban renewal” in the mid-20th century (especially in the 1950s–70s) demolished Black neighborhoods in the name of progress (e.g., highway construction, public housing).
Examples: Old West Baltimore was cut off by the construction of Highway 40 (the “Highway to Nowhere”), displacing thousands.
Public housing projects like Lexington Terrace and Murphy Homes became concentrated zones of poverty.
IV. Civil Rights Era and Legal Challenges
A.
Protests and Activism
Baltimore was active in the Civil Rights Movement. Activists fought against housing discrimination, school segregation, and employment inequality.
B.
Lawsuits and Policy Changes
In the 1970s and 1980s, lawsuits challenged discriminatory housing policies.
Example: The Thompson v. HUD case (filed in 1995) accused the federal government of continuing segregation through public housing policy. The court ruled that HUD had failed to affirmatively further fair housing.
V. Long-Term Consequences of Redlining
A.
Persistent Racial Wealth Gap
Redlining kept Black families from building generational wealth through homeownership.
Today, Black Baltimoreans are far less likely to own homes than white residents, and property values are often lower in formerly redlined neighborhoods.
B.
Health and Education Disparities
Redlined areas today correlate with poor health outcomes, underfunded schools, and environmental hazards.
Lack of investment has led to deteriorating infrastructure and social services in those communities.
C.
Modern-Day Segregation
Despite the end of formal redlining, racial segregation in Baltimore remains stark.
Neighborhoods often still reflect the 1937 HOLC map in terms of racial demographics, income, and opportunity.
VI. Current Efforts and Reckoning
A.
Mapping Inequality and Public Awareness
Projects like the “Mapping Inequality” initiative (University of Richmond) have digitized HOLC maps, helping visualize historical redlining’s legacy.
Baltimore organizations, universities, and city government have launched equity-based planning and housing justice initiatives.
B.
Equity and Reparative Policy
Proposals include affordable housing, reinvestment in marginalized neighborhoods, tenant protections, and reparative justice approaches.
In 2021, Baltimore acknowledged racial zoning and redlining’s role in creating inequality and pledged to address its effects.
Further Reading & Resources
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Baltimore native, has written extensively on housing discrimination and racial injustice.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein includes detailed discussion of Baltimore’s role.
“Baltimore: A History of Race and Real Estate” – online archives and maps from Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore Heritage.
It Could Have Been Us - An Overview of Redlining in Baltimore, Maryland
The history of redlining in Baltimore, Maryland, is both significant and illustrative of the broader systemic racism that shaped urban development across the United States. Baltimore played a key role in the evolution of racially discriminatory housing policies. Here’s a detailed outline of that history:
I. Early Roots of Housing Segregation in Baltimore
A.
Nation’s First Racial Zoning Law (1910)
In 1910, Baltimore became the first U.S. city to pass a racial zoning ordinance, mandating that Black residents could not move onto blocks where whites were the majority and vice versa.
This ordinance was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1917 (Buchanan v. Warley), but the mindset and intent behind it continued in subtler forms.
B.
Restrictive Covenants (1920s–1940s)
Private contracts called restrictive covenants were widely used to prevent Black people and other minorities from buying or renting homes in white neighborhoods.
These covenants were supported by real estate boards and neighborhood associations, often promoted by the Baltimore Real Estate Board.
The Supreme Court declared such covenants unenforceable in 1948 (Shelley v. Kraemer), though they remained influential.
II. Federal Redlining and the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC)
A.
1930s HOLC “Residential Security Maps”
The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) created maps of U.S. cities in the 1930s to assess the risk of mortgage lending. Baltimore’s map (1937) is a stark example.
Neighborhoods were color-coded:
Green (“Best”) – Wealthy, white, new suburbs.
Blue (“Still Desirable”)
Yellow (“Definitely Declining”)
Red (“Hazardous”) – Usually older, inner-city areas with Black or immigrant populations.
The red areas were denied access to mortgage loans—this is where the term “redlining” comes from.
B.
Impact on Baltimore
Virtually all Black neighborhoods in Baltimore were redlined.
Black families could not access federally backed home loans, driving disinvestment in those communities.
The map institutionalized racial segregation and underdevelopment.
III. Post-WWII Suburbanization and Segregation
A.
White Flight and Suburban Growth
Federal policies like the GI Bill and FHA loans enabled white families to move to suburban developments (like Levittown, MD, and others), while Black families were excluded.
Baltimore’s Black residents were confined to aging, overcrowded inner-city areas.
B.
Urban Renewal and Displacement
“Urban renewal” in the mid-20th century (especially in the 1950s–70s) demolished Black neighborhoods in the name of progress (e.g., highway construction, public housing).
Examples: Old West Baltimore was cut off by the construction of Highway 40 (the “Highway to Nowhere”), displacing thousands.
Public housing projects like Lexington Terrace and Murphy Homes became concentrated zones of poverty.
IV. Civil Rights Era and Legal Challenges
A.
Protests and Activism
Baltimore was active in the Civil Rights Movement. Activists fought against housing discrimination, school segregation, and employment inequality.
B.
Lawsuits and Policy Changes
In the 1970s and 1980s, lawsuits challenged discriminatory housing policies.
Example: The Thompson v. HUD case (filed in 1995) accused the federal government of continuing segregation through public housing policy. The court ruled that HUD had failed to affirmatively further fair housing.
V. Long-Term Consequences of Redlining
A.
Persistent Racial Wealth Gap
Redlining kept Black families from building generational wealth through homeownership.
Today, Black Baltimoreans are far less likely to own homes than white residents, and property values are often lower in formerly redlined neighborhoods.
B.
Health and Education Disparities
Redlined areas today correlate with poor health outcomes, underfunded schools, and environmental hazards.
Lack of investment has led to deteriorating infrastructure and social services in those communities.
C.
Modern-Day Segregation
Despite the end of formal redlining, racial segregation in Baltimore remains stark.
Neighborhoods often still reflect the 1937 HOLC map in terms of racial demographics, income, and opportunity.
VI. Current Efforts and Reckoning
A.
Mapping Inequality and Public Awareness
Projects like the “Mapping Inequality” initiative (University of Richmond) have digitized HOLC maps, helping visualize historical redlining’s legacy.
Baltimore organizations, universities, and city government have launched equity-based planning and housing justice initiatives.
B.
Equity and Reparative Policy
Proposals include affordable housing, reinvestment in marginalized neighborhoods, tenant protections, and reparative justice approaches.
In 2021, Baltimore acknowledged racial zoning and redlining’s role in creating inequality and pledged to address its effects.
Further Reading & Resources
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Baltimore native, has written extensively on housing discrimination and racial injustice.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein includes detailed discussion of Baltimore’s role.
“Baltimore: A History of Race and Real Estate” – online archives and maps from Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore Heritage.