Column
Living Between the Lines
Boundaries created almost 85 years ago still haunt Muncie’s urban neighborhoods.
By Alex Bracken
I
n the 1930s, U.S. citizens were in a panic. Home values were decreasing, inflation was out of control, and the American economy was in shambles. According to the Harvard Business Review, house prices dropped about 67 percent between 1929 and 1932. This means that in 1932, a home that cost about $76,000 just three years earlier would be worth a measly $46,000. As home values dropped, the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) was created with the purpose of saving lenders by increasing confidence and stabilizing prices. HOLC advised them which areas were “desirable” and safe for mortgages. Regions of selected cities were classified into four categories — A, B, C, and D. According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, factors that influenced the classifications included the general condition of housing in the area, proximity to amenities like parks, the economic class of residents, nationality, and ethnic/racial composition. Areas with immigrants or people of color were frequently labeled C and D which were named “definitely declining”
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and “hazardous,” respectively. These determined sections were outlined on maps of 150 cities in yellow and red, separated from richer, and mostly white, neighborhoods. Redlining, the practice of appraising areas as “hazardous,” has had negative effects on the areas it has been applied to. But redlining isn’t the only harmful classification — yellow areas, classified as “definitely declining,” have suffered similar consequences. This classification is known as yellowlining. Although legislation like the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning housing based on factors like race, religion, and sex, work to combat issues like redlining and yellowlining, the effects of these practices still linger. Jena Ashby is the director of impact and programs at Muncie Habitat for Humanity, where she leads a team called the 8twelve Coalition. Their focus area includes the South Central and Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhoods, both of which were once classified as yellow. One of the effects of redlining and
When you can answer that question of, ‘Where do I live?’ then there are so many other things you get to pay attention to in life - Jena Ashby, Habitat for Humanity yellowlining is a decrease in available mortgages. “We know that our neighborhoods, which have historically been neighborhoods of color and even probably more southside-focused neighborhoods, do tend to have lower home ownership rates and less equity available to people to just fix their homes up,” Ashby says. One of 8twelve’s goals is to ensure residents have access to decent, safe, stable, and affordable housing. While there are many ways to accomplish this, they’re often dealing with existing construction.
