The Numerous Obstacles—Past and Present—Facing Black Homeowners

Black Americans pay a higher price to be homeowners—and the number of those who can afford to pay that price is dropping quickly.

2 minute read

May 17, 2021, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

Center for Neighborhood Technology / Flickr

Feature reporting by Ailsa Chang, Christopher Intagliata and Jonaki Mehta dig into the past and present of what the headline of the story refers to as the "racist architecture of homeownership."

The statistics that explain the state of Black homeownership in the United States are staggering:

Over the last 15 years, Black homeownership has declined more dramatically than for any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. In 2019, the Black homeownership rate was about as low as in the 1960s, when private race-based discrimination was legal.

And after the explaining the history of redlining and other discriminatory practices built into the legal and financial systems of the country, the article explains this:

Today, many of the same neighborhoods that were redlined continue not only to have the highest poverty rates, but also worse health outcomes that lead to shorter lifespans. And Black Americans are nearly five times more likely to own a home in a formerly redlined neighborhood than in a greenlined, or "desirable," neighborhood, resulting in less home equity than white Americans have.

The article illustrates its points with human interest angles and a deep dive into the causes and effects of racism in the housing and development market of the greater Los Angeles area, starting with the neighborhood of Sugar Hill, razed and severed by the construction of the Interstate 10 Freeway, before also describing blockbusting in the city of Compton and the emigration of Black Americans from urban areas to suburban and exurban locations in the Inland Empire to the east of Los Angeles—the latter interrupted by the disparate impacts of the foreclosure crisis and predatory lending of the Great Recession.

A recent report by the Urban Institute offers supplemental reading about the causes of the decline of Black homeownership in six neighborhoods around the country.

Saturday, May 8, 2021 in NPR

Large historic homes and white picket fences line a street.

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

March 23, 2023 - The Washington Post

Dilapidated vacant wood slat house painted white in Louisiana

The Quiet Housing Crisis in Rural America

While housing shortages in major cities are grabbing headlines, rural communities are seeing higher rates of growth in housing prices and a silently spreading homelessness crisis.

March 20, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

A view of the Boise skyline, across tress int he foreground. The state capitol is visible amongst other office buildings.

Skyline-Defining High-Rise Potentially Coming to Boise

A rendering making the rounds in Boise depicts a 40-story apartment building that would be taller than all other buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

March 20, 2023 - Boise Dev

South of Market

11,000 Housing Units Possible with S.F. Office Conversions, Study Says

A new study by SPUR and the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco chapter estimates a specific number of apartment units that could be built from vacant office units in the city.

3 hours ago - The San Francisco Chronicle

Two people riding bikes with helmets on paved park trail

‘Arrested Mobility:’ How Transportation-Related Laws Impact Black Americans

A far-reaching new study highlights the disproportionate effect of biking and walking laws on the mobility of Black Americans.

4 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

California

California Attorney General Wants to Get Serious About Housing

A bill sponsored by the AG’s office would give the state’s top attorney more power to intervene in lawsuits related to the state’s housing laws.

5 hours ago - San Francisco Chronicle

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.