Neighborhoods

The Basics

• Overview Where we live decides our schools, our air, our commute and how much wealth we can build. Many neighborhoods were shaped by racist housing policy, and many are now changing fast as rents rise. Neighbors organizing together can protect the people who make a place home.

By the Numbers

Why this matters, in three numbers.

• In spring 2026, 45.4% of Black households owned their home, compared with 74.5% of white households. (U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Q2 2026)
• Homes in majority-Black neighborhoods are valued about 21% to 23% less than they would be in neighborhoods with few Black residents, a loss of about $162 billion. (Brookings Institution (2022))
• In the places Eviction Lab tracks, Black renters are only 31% of renters but face nearly half of all eviction filings. (Eviction Lab, Princeton University (2023 filings))

Key Terminology

Three words that come up again and again on this topic. See all of our key terminology >

• Gentrification — Higher-income residents and investment moving into a lower-income neighborhood, often pushing longtime residents out.
• Redlining — Denying or limiting services like mortgages and insurance based on the racial makeup of a neighborhood.
• Mutual Aid — Community members sharing resources and support directly with one another, built on solidarity rather than charity.

Take Action

Three things you can do this month.

• Ask Congress to pass the Fair Housing Improvement Act. This bill (S.2827 / H.R.5443) would make it illegal for landlords to turn people away because they pay with a housing voucher, Social Security or other legal income. It has sat in committee since September 2025. Say: "I'm a constituent, and I urge you to cosponsor the Fair Housing Improvement Act so landlords can't reject renters who use vouchers."
• Give to the National Fair Housing Alliance. NFHA, led by Lisa Rice, fights redlining, appraisal bias and housing discrimination through research, lawsuits and policy work.
• Look up your neighborhood's 1930s redlining map. Mapping Inequality shows how the government graded neighborhoods by race. Find your area, then share it with neighbors or bring it to your next city council or planning meeting.

Organizations to Follow

These groups are led by people of color and work on neighborhoods every day. Follow them for updates and ways to help.

• Right to the City Alliance Tenant and community groups fighting displacement and gentrification. Visit their website, and follow @ourcityrttc on Instagram to get updates in your newsfeed.
• National CAPACD Supports Asian American and Pacific Islander housing and neighborhood groups. Visit their website, and follow @nationalcapacd on Instagram to get updates in your newsfeed.
• PolicyLink Research and advocacy for fair housing, transit and local development. Visit their website, and follow @policylink on Instagram to get updates in your newsfeed.

People to Follow

Organizers, scholars and journalists who know this topic. Follow them to keep learning.

• Andre M. Perry Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His research on how homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued shapes the national conversation on housing and wealth. Follow them here.
• Dr. Tiffany Manuel President and CEO of TheCaseMade. She teaches housing advocates how to make the case for fair, affordable neighborhoods that people will rally behind. Follow @drtiffanymanuel on Instagram.
• Jerusalem Demsas Housing writer and editor of The Argument. She writes clearly about why housing costs so much and who gets shut out of neighborhoods. Follow @jerusalemdemsas on Instagram.

Independent Media

Independent newsrooms and newsletters that cover neighborhoods often. Read and donate if you can!

• Next City. Nonprofit news on fair cities, housing and local solutions. Follow @nextcityorg on Instagram.
• Shelterforce. Independent magazine on affordable housing and community development.
• Streetsblog USA. Nonprofit news on transit, streets and who gets access to them. Follow @streetsblog on Instagram.
• Defying Gentrification. Urban planner Kristen Jeffers writes weekly on gentrification, housing and cities. Follow @blackurbanist on Instagram.
• The Breakdown. Atlanta filmmaker King Williams on gentrification, development and local history. Follow @iamkingwilliams on Instagram.

Read, Watch, Listen

A book, a film and a podcast by creators of color to go deeper.

• Read: Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. How the end of redlining gave way to predatory lending that still hurts Black neighborhoods.
• Watch: Flag Wars by Linda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras. Four years inside a Black neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, as gentrification pushes longtime homeowners out.
• Listen: There Goes the Neighborhood by Kai Wright (WNYC Studios). An in-depth look at gentrification, including a season on rising rents and rising seas in Black Miami.

Talk About It

Not sure how to bring this up with family or coworkers? Try one of these.

• Do you know if our neighborhood was redlined back in the 1930s? I just looked it up.
• Have you noticed how many longtime neighbors have moved out because the rent went up?
• Did you know some landlords can still refuse renters just because they use a housing voucher?