2022 NHCA Annual Virtual Conference

Introduction: Maps of >200 US cities were drawn in the 1930s by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) to classify neighborhoods by mortgage risk. Four categories were used to define the neighborhoods as “best-green”, “still desirable-blue", “definitely declining-yellow", and “hazardous-red”, thus establishing the practice of “redlining”. This practice systematically segregated and denied mortgage loans to minority populations in redlined neighborhoods and continues to shape neighborhoods today; however, no studies have assessed its impact on noise. Methods: US DOT National Transportation Noise Map and 1930s HOLC-maps from 11 cities in Michigan were used to estimate the proportion of hazardous transportation-related noise today (≥70 dBA) for HOLC-neighborhoods. T-tests between redlined and non-redlined neighborhoods and multivariate linear regression were performed to examine whether hazardous transportation-related noise varies by redlining status and is modified by current demographics. Results: Redlining, in Michigan, is a significant predictor of higher hazardous noise proportions and this relationship is modified by current demographics, where communities of higher minority and low-income populations in once-redlined areas experience an even higher proportion of hazardous noise exposure. Discussion: Noise exposure should be considered in environmental justice research, and dismantling structural racism and discrimination is critical to alleviating the excess burden on vulnerable communities.