A Case of Two Cities: Residential Housing Patterns in Baltimore City: "A Case Study"

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A CASE OF TWO CITIES: RESIDENTIAL HOUSING PATTERNS IN BALTIMORE CITY: “A CASE STUDY”

Charles N. Wilson

It is well documented that there exists a historical pattern of public policy at all levels of government that contributed to the segregated housing patterns in Baltimore City and other major cities in America. These segregated residential housing patterns have had an adverse effect on the African American community and the city of Baltimore at large. There was great hope with the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act (FHA) that would make housing discrimination illegal and affordable housing more assessable. This study examines whether these conditions in the past continue in contemporary times and contribute to the same outcomes of the past. In spite of the passage of the FHA making overt discrimination illegal and a plethora of legislation designed to make credit more accessible to minority and underserved communities, living conditions in neighborhoods that have weathered the worst of “redlining”, restrictive covenants, blockbusting, and distressed public housing have shown little improvement. This qualitative study explores, describes, and seeks to explain public policies both past and present, that have contributed to and maintain current residential housing patterns in the city of Baltimore.