Legacy of housing discrimination leaves underserved neighborhoods without healthy food access

A study of housing patterns and food environments publicized by the Urban Institute has been published in Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology and demonstrates a link between housing discrimination and neighborhood investment. Using data from the University of Richmond, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the City of Baltimore, the authors find that “blockbusting”—when realtors “persuade white homeowners to sell their properties cheaply because of fears that people of color are moving into a neighborhood, and then resell those properties to newcomers for a profit” is associated with barriers to food access. Specifically, the authors find that areas experiencing historical and ongoing blockbusting score substantially lower on a healthy food access index than areas never subjected to the practice. #housing #racialequity #foodsecurity