Andrew Fellows discusses how redlining of commercial loans has contributed to the gap in home values between Montgomery County and Prince George’s County today.
The Washington Post article, “One home, a lifetime of impact” by Michele Lerner discusses the homeownership gap between Blacks and whites, with 44% of Black families owning their homes compared to 73.7% of white families. She examines the difference in home values between Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
University of Maryland College of Information Studies Faculty Research Specialist Andrew Fellows explains the covenants and policies that have contributed to this.
He shares that, “many of the covenants that excluded blacks from some suburban developments were slow to change even after the Fair Housing Act. And banks were slow to make commercial loans, which means that Prince George’s County continues to lag in retail development today. That lack of development, which is broadly related to redlining, keeps home values lower in the county.”