Historical redlining, locally unwanted land uses, and neighborhood mental health: Investigating the mediating effect in Chicago, Illinois

Historical redlining in the 1930s is widely used as a benchmark to measure the enduring effects of housing discrimination on today’s patterns of racial segregation and health disparities. Residents of historically redlined neighborhoods are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and other adverse mental health outcomes. Prior research also shows that historically redlined neighborhoods disproportionately host environmentally burdensome locally unwanted land uses (LULUs), suggesting an important pathway through which structural racism becomes embedded in place and shapes health. Focusing on Chicago, a city marked by persistent racial segregation, this study uses path analysis to investigate the mediating role of three major types of LULUs (industrial land, transportation and utility land, and vacant land and construction sites) in the relationship between redlining-anchored disadvantage and poor neighborhood mental health. Greater historical redlining was associated with a higher prevalence of poor mental health, and this total effect was partially mediated through industrial land, vacant land and construction sites, as well as key neighborhood socio-economic factors. These results highlight the enduring impact of historical housing discrimination on present-day urban health outcomes. Policies aimed at reducing health inequities should address physical environmental risks, tackle underlying socio-economic inequalities, and prioritize support for historically marginalized communities.