Redlining in Prince George’s County, Maryland

Abstract

The project goal was to provide the Prince George’s Planning Department with geographic information regarding historical redlining in the County. Redlining is the act of denying a person the ability to buy property or a house within a specific area due to their race or ethnicity. This project allowed us to understand the impact that redlining has on Prince George’s County. In PGAtlas.com, we obtained county addresses and their associated plat numbers to look up subdivision plats. We scanned property deeds that accompany subdivision plats to see if there were any deed restrictions that might indicate redlining. We compiled a data table of 15 redlined addresses in the County and provided map entries for a story map on the ArcGis story map. The story map helps show how certain areas in the County were targeted with redlining in the 1890s through the 1940s. In addition, the story map outlines the history of redlining in other areas and how Prince George’s County is one of many communities to have been affected. Our contacts for the project were Prince George’s County Planning Department staff, Dr. Jennifer Stabler and Karen Mierow. We also worked with Kimberly Fisher and Lily Murnen of the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program. Our project required understanding both clients’ goals and objectives to achieve a final product agreed on by both parties.