Redlining may also be making people more vulnerable to climate change – specifically, to extreme heat and flooding. Two years ago, an environmental justice nonprofit called Groundwork USA started to research this theory in detail, overlaying the old redlining maps with things like heat data from NASA and flood-risk maps from FEMA. Two recently-completed cities in their Climate Safe Neighborhoods mapping project are Haverhill and Lawrence.
Mapping Project Explores Links Between Historic Redlining And Future Climate Vulnerability
The Spicket River in Lawrence, Mass., seen from the Spicket River Greenway.