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

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business

Large spinning swing ride at Chicago's Navy Pier.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip

Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

July 3 - Streetsblog Chicago

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3 - Governing