Current Distribution of People by Race in San Jose, CA

Zooming in on San Jose's racial distribution map, the segregation becomes increasing apparent:

When compared to San Jose's historic redlining map, the patterns of racial segregation that exist in San Jose today can be understood to have been the direct result of these policies. Blocks that were characterized as Hazardous (red) or Definitely Undesirable (yellow) are primarily composed of Hispanic communities today (example: East San Jose). To the left of downtown San Jose, which contained mostly A and B graded neighborhood blocks, we can see primarily white communities today (example: Rose Garden)

Displacement

The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project produced the above map of no-cause evictions in San Jose from 2010-2017. A no-cause eviction is when a landlord evicts a tenant without the tenant being at fault (i.e. damage to property, not paying rent, etc.). Landlords use no-cause evictions to raise rent for the next tenant or it's used when the building was bought by a new company and rents are going up or the building is being torn down for new infrastructure. By looking at this map, most of the no-cause evictions are happening in neighborhoods rated "best" or "desirable" by HOLC way back in 1937 (West San Jose) and less no-cause evictions are happening in East or South San Jose which were redlined by HOLC. No-cause evictions represent places where real estate is desirable (rents are rising) and where investment in the neighborhood is frequent. These evictions also keep low-income families from accessing these neighborhoods which only continues the poverty cycle and intergenerational inheritance of racial inequity and wealth gaps.

"How do these policies play into today’s economic disparities? The [national] median household wealth for white families is about $171,000, while that number drops to just $17,000 for black families, according to data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute. The homeownership rate for blacks is about 41%, nearly the same as it was in 1968, while for whites it grew from 66% to 71%" (Komp, 2019)

Social Vulnerability

The map below illustrates the relationship between redlining and social vulnerability (dsl.richmond.edu)

"Social Vulnerability" Defined

The above map displays the 1937 HOLC map on the far left, and the map on the far right of San Jose neighborhoods and their Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores according to the Center of Disease Control (CDC). In the middle is a chart tracks where each HOLC neighborhood in 1937 (left) fares on the CDC's SVI today. This clearly illustrates how HOLC designations in 1937 have translated directly to the level of social vulnerability each neighborhood experiences today.

The CDC's Social Vulnerability Index is used to assess a neighborhood's capacity to respond to and recover from disasters. It combines a number of factors (economic, housing, transportation, language, minority status, social, and disability status) to get a big picture idea of where resources will need to be deployed in the event of an environmental or human disaster. Neighborhoods rated low on the index are more susceptible to catastrophic damage while neighborhoods rated highly on the scale have a better capacity to overcome challenges posed by disasters.

"Racial residential segregation may impact health through poor housing conditions, disparities in educational and employment opportunities, inadequate transportation infrastructure, access to healthcare, and economic instability. Where people live impacts their exposure to health-promoting resources and opportunities (i.e., access to quality food, recreation, healthcare, etc.) as well as exposure to health-damaging threats (i.e., environmental pollutants, poor housing quality, etc.)." (Ayers, 2020)

Redlining has shaped where communities of color live and through disinvestment in these neighborhoods, has left people of color at higher risk for chronic disease and this year, COVID-19. Redlining has altered the built environment in San Jose and also has concentrated disadvantage, poor health outcomes, and COVID-19 risk & fatalities, in the city's most vulnerable neighborhoods. The compounding effects of this racist policy from 1937 are deeply felt today as entire families in East San Jose are devastated by this novel coronavirus.