Think Progress, May 22, 2019: Discriminatory housing practices linked to higher pollution and asthma rates, new report finds
Communities subjected to discriminatory lending and mortgage practices decades ago now have higher rates of asthma, according to new research out Wednesday. These predominately low-income communities and communities of color also suffer from increased exposure to pollutants.
Redlining — the practice of denying loans or insurance to certain groups or neighborhoods over concerns that they might be at higher risk of default — has been banned for more than half a century. But the discriminatory practice played a major role in shaping modern neighborhoods, with a disproportionate impact on low-income people of color. A 2018 study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that the practice of redlining has left historically redlined communities worse off economically today. It may also be having a profound affect on contemporary health issues.
