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Richmond, VA - In the neighborhood of Gilpin, 2,000 residents, mainly black, are currently in the middle of an extreme heat crisis.
With few trees and no central air conditioning, Gilpin provides its residents little shade and comfort. And combined with this year’s hot summer days, the living environment has become almost unbearable. It has gotten to the point where the Gilpin ZIP code has among the highest rates of heat-related ambulance calls in the city.
Photo from NPR.org
As stated by the New York Times, “In cities like Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, and New York, neighborhoods that are poorer and have more residents of color, can be 5 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in summer than wealthier, whiter parts of the same city.”
This is no coincidence.
Large disparities in the urban heat environment were created in the early 20th century when local and federal officials enforced racial segregation in select cities. As a result, investments were diverted away from neighborhoods of color, causing a large gap in financials.
Researchers are looking at one historical practice in particular that might hold the answer as to why these cities have such large heat disparities: redlining.
Simply put, redlining is the discriminatory practice of denying services (typically financial) to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity. Especially prominent in the 1930s, redlining was used by the federal government to judge the risk factor of certain neighborhoods. These places were graded “best”, “still desirable”, “declining”, or “hazardous”.
Map of redlining in Richmond from dsl.richmond.edu
Black and immigrant neighborhoods were typically rated “hazardous” and outlined in red— hence the term “redlining”. Because of this, people living in these areas were denied access to federally backed mortgages for decades, pushing them further into a cycle of disinvestment. A recent study found that formerly redlined neighborhoods are 5 degrees hotter in summer, on average, than areas once favored for housing loans, with some cities seeing differences as large as 12 degrees. Now, cities such as Richmond are left to confront a part of their history that has led to the extreme heat today.
Thankfully, many cities are now taking action to undo the redlining that has been present for so many years. In Houston, officials recently passed an ordinance to prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods for flood protection. Additionally, Minneapolis and Portland are working to allow more affordable housing in certain neighborhoods. And as for Richmond? The city has launched a new mapping tool that shows in detail how heat and flooding can disproportionately harm communities of color.
While definite improvements have been made, the struggle for racial equity and justice is not over. This marks the start of a change, but certainly not the end.