Comparison Map: Historic Redlining and Modern Inequality

Now that we have learned the story of redlining and how it affected Seattle, we move on to our comparison map, where you can explore the legacy of redlining on your own terms. The map on the left is the 1936 HOLC Redlining Map,where neighborhoods were ranked into different grades that determined who could get home loans and other financial support. The map on the right is Seattle’s modern (2023) Racial and Social Equity (RSE) Index that determines the areas with the highest levels of inequality, calling them “equity priorities”.

Scroll below the map for useful tips on how to use the comparison map.

Tips for use:

• Use the slider to compare the two maps and see how historic redlining relates to modern inequality patterns
• Click on different areas on the Redlining Map (left) to read the area descriptions that informed their redlining grades, and to learn the modern-day RSE inequality score of that location
• Click on different zones on the RSE Map (right) to learn their modern day RSE inequality scores and the historic redlining grade of that location
• Use the dropdown menu in the top left to zoom into specific neighborhoods
• If you are in Seattle: Click the geolocator in the top right to zoom into your current location