Traffic and the Racialized Built Environment: Applying a New Lens on HOLC "Redlining" Maps to Understand Traffic Safety Outcomes

Traffic fatalities are understood to be a pressing cause of fatality in the United States, but the fundamental causes of inequities in their distribution are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to understand the influences of one such fundamental cause: the implemen- tation of antiquated neighborhood lifecycle theories through racially discriminatory policies. Through a propensity matching design within five American cities, we found evidence that traffic health disparities are tied to the perceptions of race and space held by governmental entities such as the HOLC, but are not necessarily tied to redlining or other policies derived from neighborhood lifecycle theories. Our discovered relationships also vary by city, leading to potential implications for future studies using HOLC maps to understand modern health inequities.