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Title: A Cartographic Perspective on the Correlation Between Redlining and Public Health in Austin, Texas–1951

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2017

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Abstract: Consequences of historic redlining—the once federally sanctioned denial of services to residents of predominantly non-White neighborhoods—are often measured in terms of structural decay and economic stagnation. However, the effects of redlining are also evident in the health disparities observed between maligned neighborhoods and surrounding communities (Gee, 2008). With this fact in mind, in this article I juxtapose selected historic maps and data in an effort to examine the correlation between redlining and incidence of tuberculosis in 1950s Austin, Texas. The impetus for this article was a 1952 fundraising flyer for a campaign sponsored by the Travis County Tuberculosis Association. On the back of the flyer was a supplemental map of reported cases and deaths resulting from the disease in the Austin area for the previous year (exhibit 1). On examining the map, I was struck by a clear concentration of reported cases and deaths from the disease in the southeast area of the city, north of the Colorado River between East 1st and East 11th Streets. The high density of cases reported for that area suggested higher rates of the disease in those communities when compared with the rest of the map. Certainly, maps drawn on the back of antique fundraising flyers found in used bookstores hardly constitute vetted data. However, the high density of cases shown for that part of the city was consistent with both the historic characteristics of the area and the behavior of the disease. . .

Url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26328340?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

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Authors: Huggins, John, C

Periodical (Full): Cityscape

Issue: 2

Volume: 19

Pages: 267-280

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Other

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