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Blockbusting and the Challenges Faced by Black Families in Building Wealth Through Housing in the Postwar United States

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Listed:
  • Daniel Hartley
  • Jonathan D. Rose

Abstract

We study the impacts of blockbusting, i.e. large-scale racial turnover of urban neighborhoods orchestrated by real estate professionals using aggressive and discriminatory practices. In a panel of census tracts across large cities in the postwar United States, we compare tracts subjected to blockbusting activity to similar neighboring tracts not subjected to blockbusting. We find that blockbusting caused substantially lower house values over the next few decades. To understand the mechanisms behind this effect, we analyze property-level data in one neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. We find that new residents that purchased their properties through blockbusters were charged higher prices and had higher foreclosure rates than new residents that purchased directly from existing property owners.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Hartley & Jonathan D. Rose, 2023. "Blockbusting and the Challenges Faced by Black Families in Building Wealth Through Housing in the Postwar United States," Working Paper Series WP 2023-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedhwp:95623
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    File URL: https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/working-papers/2023/2023-02
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    blockbusting; wealth-gap; housing finance discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • N22 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N92 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • R51 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Finance in Urban and Rural Economies

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