Housing Barriers We Inherited
in the Hartford Region:
A 10-Minute History Lesson
Jack Dougherty, Trinity College
Presentation for Glastonbury Community Conversation
Slides online at @DoughertyJack
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Racial barriers with government support, 1930s-40s
Redlining 1937: Federal officials and local lenders rated mortgage risk on race, ethnicity, and social class of residents
Racial barriers with government support, 1930s-40s
Race restrictive covenants, in local government property deeds, West Hartford, 1940s
US Supreme Court ruled “unenforceable” in 1948
Racial barriers with government support, 1930s-40s
Blocking Public Housing and Black wartime workers, West Hartford, 1943; torn down 1954
Civil Rights Activism to enforce Fair Housing Act of 1968
Housing discrimination testing, 1973-74 to combat racial steering of clients by real estate agencies
Learn more about
US v Barrows et al.
Wealth barriers with government support, 1920s-today
Exclusionary zoning, 1924: West Hartford first in state. Favored single-family homes, and made multi-family homes “uneconomic” to build in selected neighborhoods.
“Color-blind” law to exclude lower-income families
Explore map and
Exclusionary zoning by single vs. multi-family housing
Wealth barriers with government support, 1920s-today
More restrictive
Permits single-family only
$$$ per family
Less restrictive
Permits multi-family
$ per family
Exclusionary zoning by minimum building lot size
Wealth barriers with government support, 1920s-today
More restrictive
Higher minimum lot size
$$$ per family
Less restrictive
Lower minimum lot size
$ per family
Exclusionary zoning across
169 Connecticut towns, 2012:
• 23 prohibit multi-family housing
•122 require special permit
• 29 have bedroom cap
• 13 require > 2 acre lot size for single-family homes
• 18 require > 5 acre lots size for multi-family homes
Learn more at CT Zoning Initiative
Wealth barriers with government support, 1920s-today
Facing the housing barriers and privileges we inherited
Learn more about government policies at all levels
Recognize racial and wealth privileges they created
Looking back helps us decide how to move forward