For nearly a century, the practice of redlining drew invisible lines across American cities that determined not just where people could live, but what they could eat and how long they might live. A sweeping new study from Texas A&M University, examining nearly 9,600 neighborhoods across 38 states, reveals that the barriers separating historically redlined communities from healthy food are not primarily distance or poverty — they are the compounded ruins of crumbling housing, persistent crime, and failing schools. The finding reframes a public health crisis as what it has always been: a structu
Redlining's Legacy: Housing, Crime, Schools Drive Food Access Gaps More Than Income
Residents in historically redlined neighborhoods face compounded health risks from food insecurity, obesity, and stress-induced overeating cycles linked to systemic poverty and neighborhood decline.