2005/12/01 by Kristen B. Crossney, David W. Bartelt · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Agency (philosophy) #Business #Context (archaeology) #Corporation #Estate #Finance #Geography #Government (linguistics) #Housing Market and Economics #Loan #Population #Race (biology) #Racial composition #Socioeconomic status #Sociology #Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies #Urbanization and City Planning
paper · doi:10.2747/0272-3638.26.8.707
openalex publication_date 2005/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The Residential Security Maps produced under the aegis of the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) are often regarded as significant evidence that the federal government was complicit in expanding segregated housing patterns. This paper suggests a different direction for the analysis of the agency's role and the impact of their maps regarding patterns of real estate appraisal and mortgage credit allocations. It is argued that: (1) whereas the broadly asserted relationship between race and residential security areas can be demonstrated, there are important variations that should drive further research in this sphere, including the significance of other demographic, socioeconomic, and housing variables; (2) despite uniform guidelines, the appraisal surveys and assignments of grades by HOLC were not identical across cities; (3) the approaches utilized by HOLC were not identical to those implemented by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), making it unlikely these agencies had a cooperative relationship; and (4) the relationship between grades and the distribution of mortgages varied by lender type and between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, suggesting the importance of local context in examining HOLC as a public policy instrument and its subsequent impact on racial segregation.