Baltimore's housing stock is relatively accessible compared to many other cities on the East Coast, yet deeply ingrained issues of inequality still plague the potential for homeownership to assist in the city's recovery.
Gillian B. White reports on a new report [pdf] from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition showing an uneven distribution of home loans among Baltimoreans: "Of the 2,653 mortgage applications submitted by white applicants in 2013, 75 percent were approved. Of the 1,304 submitted by black applicants, 61 percent were approved."
White notes that the city's relatively affordable housing stock offers chances for homeownership in ways that could potentially spur investment and revitalization. "But the benefits of homeownership will only be shared equally if the prerequisites for owning a home are equal for everyone," writes White. And in Baltimore: "Unfortunately, they’re not."
FULL STORY: Being White Makes It a Lot Easier to Get a Home Loan in Baltimore
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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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions