Systems of Exclusion: Legacy of Redlining Policies

The Bronx, in addition to having the lowest income in New York City, suffers from both the highest crime rate, and the second highest Stop and Frisk and incarceration rates. The blue-collar, low-income communities of color are now at risk of displacement by the omnidirectional wave of capital flow that is centered upon the creative-class. Large numbers of foreclosed and abandoned buildings attract developers and real-estate speculators that expand the cracks in the community—one that has already been fractured by a history of detrimental urban policies. The increasing pressure of displacement creates an inevitable tension between the officials and the residents.

I examined the relationship between redlining, deindustrialization, the isolation of the NYCHA residents in a bundle of highways, and the lack of access to public transportation systems to indicate that these policies that have historically molded the Bronx are still contemporary issues.

Furthermore, the “risky areas” of the HOLC 1934 redlining map correspond to the police precincts that recorded the highest amount of Stop and Frisk incidents in between 2015 and 2016. The map I created renders this relationship with an interactive legend that filters the number of recorded Stop and Frisk data points by precinct.

Historical Progression