Legacy effects of redlining on the distribution of greenspaces in US cities

We investigated how a discriminatory housing policy—redlining—has shaped the spatial patterns and configurations of greenspaces throughout 177 cities in the contiguous US. Housing segregation has been a long‐term development practice that has sequestered communities of color to areas with elevated environmental and public health risks. Although the lasting environmental, social, and economic impacts of redlining are clear, the impact of redlining on landscapes is still unfolding. In neighborhoods that were historically redlined, we found that (i) less overall greenspace was available, (ii) individual greenspaces were smaller and less connected, and (iii) residents belonged predominantly to communities of color and/or households had lower income. Thus, the legacy of redlining can be seen in the modern spatial patterns of urban greenspaces, and ecosystem services provided by greenspaces have been systematically absent from redlined communities for decades.