A new study documents staggering racial bais in the Boston rental market and compares the racial disparities among prospective tenants seeking housing in 2018 and 2019.
A study by researchers at Suffolk University Law School examines racial bias among real estate professionals working in the Boston rental market and examines the differential treatment experienced by qualified renters on the basis of race. "In subtle and overt ways, Black renters experienced discrimination by real estate brokers and landlords in 71 percent of the cases tested in the study," writes Meghan E. Irons. The study also found that people seeking housing with Section 8 housing vouchers experienced even greater rates of discrimination in that "regardless of race, they were routinely blocked, ignored, or turned away by an agent," Irons reports.
Researchers conducted 700 undercover tests in which 200 Black and white participants with similar income levels and credits scores posed as prospective tenants and documented their experiences in writing after interacting with real estate brokers. Irons points out that over 180 of the 200 participants had exclusive contact with a real estate or management company professional. According to the researchers, these professionals are in part responsible for the discriminatory practices unveiled by the study and should work to correct the racist bias.
Enforcing Housing Discrimination Laws Falls Largely on Tenants, Nonprofits
With few enforcement mechanisms even in cities that have bans on source-of-income discrimination on the books, it’s up to nonprofit lawyers and tenants to sue landlords for retribution.
Three Key Calls to Action to Improve Racial Equity in Transit Policy
Important changes are necessary to promote racial equity in transit policy, governance, and agency recruitment, according to Darnell Grisby, director of policy development at the American Public Transit Association.
Reporters Go Undercover to Identify Housing Discrimination
A three-year investigation of the real estate industry on Long Island reveals rampant discriminatory practices and an industry complicit in the segregation of the communities that comprise the region.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
California Bill Aims to Boost TOD
A bill proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener would exempt transit agencies from zoning rules near ‘high-quality’ transit stops and allow denser transit-oriented development.
Report: One-Fifth of Seattle Households Are Car-Free
According to one local writer, the city’s low rate of car ownership should encourage officials to support public transit and reduce parking minimums.
California Lawmakers Move to Protect Waterways
Anticipating that the Trump EPA will reinstate a 2017 policy that excluded seasonal wetlands and waterways from environmental protections.
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