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Making Race/Making Space: The National Housing Act, its Racialized Logics of Property Valuation, and its Embedded Construction of Racial Otherness
This article examines how racial categories were constructed and deployed in U.S. housing policy, focusing on the 1933–1934 HOLC and FHA programs. Drawing on early sociological research and map‑making traditions, it shows how appraisal systems embedded racialized logics that tied property values and credit risk to race and immigrant status. These practices reinforced segregation, shaped wealth accumulation, and produced enduring inequalities. By tracing shifting racial classifications and local variations, the article reveals how housing policy institutionalized exclusion with long‑term social and economic consequences.
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