ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces historical events and policies associated with housing discrimination that have had a longstanding influence on the evolution of cities and towns. It reviews the degree to which America is a segregated society, with groups isolated in residential areas in accordance with race, ethnicity, and class. The United States has faced substantial challenges in the quest to provide equal opportunities for all Americans to live in housing of their choice. Critical to understanding the history of housing discrimination in the United States is the history of redlining—the practice of denying or increasing the cost of services such as banking or insurance to residents of certain areas. In addition to blatantly proliferating inequality and racism in the United States, redlining had a number of effects on cities, many of which have had lasting impacts.
