Historical Redlining and Contemporary Racial Disparities in Neighborhood Life Expectancy.

This article examines how historical redlining, specifically the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) neighborhood grading system from 1935–1940, influenced contemporary racial disparities in life expectancy through a mediation framework. It finds that neighborhoods graded as "hazardous" (Grade D) experienced distinct historical trajectories—including increased school segregation, lower property values, and greater racialized economic isolation—that contributed to lower life expectancy compared to "desirable" (Grade A) neighborhoods. However, only a small portion of the large life expectancy gap between contemporary Black working-class and White professional-class neighborhoods is directly explained by these past HOLC grades, indicating that redlining was one element within a broader, structurally embedded racialized political economy linking race with financial risk. The study highlights the importance of addressing not only reparative policies targeting formerly redlined areas but also the ongoing systemic processes of racialized capital accumulation that sustain health inequities across all neighborhoods.