T-RACES

T-RACES (Testbed for the Redlining Archives of California’s Exclusionary Spaces) presents Residential Security Maps created by the Home Owners Loan Corp (HOLC) in the 1930s for eight cities in California along with supporting documentation.  These maps categorized specific areas in cities according to four color-coded categories based on racial, ethnic and economic characteristics of residents and potential home buyers.  These so-called “redlining” maps were used by local financial institutions to make home mortgage decisions and had a significant impact on the fate of urban neighborhoods for decades.  The site allows users to view the maps, query a wide range of supporting data, and download KML files for use with Google Earth.

A screenshot of Oakland/Berkeley's Security Map

Work is currently underway to develop a similar site for the five North Carolina cities that went through a similar redlining process:

1. Asheville
2. Charlotte
3. Durham
4. Greensboro
5. Winston-Salem