Breaking Down Birmingham's Redlining Map

The Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) created a residential security map for Birmingham, Alabama, as part of its redlining practices in the 1930s. These maps categorized neighborhoods into four grades:

"A" (Green) – Considered the "best" areas, primarily white, middle- to upper-class neighborhoods with strong investment potential.

"B" (Blue) – "Still desirable" areas with stable housing but slightly lower property values.

"C" (Yellow) – "Declining" neighborhoods, often working-class areas with some racial and economic diversity.

"D" (Red) – "Hazardous" areas, largely Black and immigrant communities that were systematically denied mortgage lending and investment.

Birmingham’s redlined neighborhoods were concentrated in predominantly Black areas, particularly in parts of North Birmingham, Smithfield, and Ensley, which suffered from decades of disinvestment. These redlining maps directly contributed to the racial wealth gap, housing segregation, and economic disparities that persist today.
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