DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Civil rights and race relations materials, 1957-1964 | What You Can Do About Racial Prejudice In Housing Page 13

Transcribe
Translate

Civil rights and race relations materials, 1957-1964

What You Can Do About Racial Prejudice In Housing Page 13

Q: Do property values decline when Negroes move into an all-white neighborhood?
It has been generally assumed that the arrival of Negroes depresses property values. So widespread is this belief that even Negroes think it is true! But the facts, repeatedly examined in many studies since the early 1950's, show conclusively that this is not the case. On the contrary, it has been shown that, in many cases, property values go up when non-white families move into a previously all-white area! And, in any case, it is not the Negroes entering a community who depress property values, but the reaction of the whites already in the community.[4]
Since the factor of property value often plays so large a part in the discussion of integrated housing, we should examine it a little more closely.
The idea that property values decline when Negroes arrive seems to stem primarily from the poor quality of the neighborhoods in which most Negroes are forced to live. The conclusion is drawn that it is the Negro who is to blame for slum conditions. This impression is reinforced by what has happened in some areas when white owners, often spurred on by "fast buck" real estate speculators, rushed to sell their homes when the first Negro families moved into the neighborhood--quickly converting it from all-white to all-Negro.
But close study has now made it clear that property values are, like most other values, simply a matter of supply and demand.[5] Since Negroes have been restricted to slums and ghettos by the pressure of discrimination, they are often willing to pay more for a piece of property than the same property would be worth to a white buyer. Negro families must often spend a higher proportion of their income for adequate housing than whites, since housing for Negroes has always been in shorter supply.[6]
Thus, the arrival of the first Negro family in a community may even result in a rise in property values in some instances. What happens next is in the hands of the
13

Saving...

Q: Do property values decline when Negroes move into an all-white neighborhood? It has been generally assumed that the arrival of Negroes depresses property values. So widespread is this belief that even Negroes think it is true! But the facts, repeatedly examined in many studies since the early 1950's, show conclusively that this is not the case. On the contrary, it has been shown that, in many cases, property values go up when non-white families move into a previously all-white area! And, in any case, it is not the Negroes entering a community who depress property values, but the reaction of the whites already in the community.[4] Since the factor of property value often plays so large a part in the discussion of integrated housing, we should examine it a little more closely. The idea that property values decline when Negroes arrive seems to stem primarily from the poor quality of the neighborhoods in which most Negroes are forced to live. The conclusion is drawn that it is the Negro who is to blame for slum conditions. This impression is reinforced by what has happened in some areas when white owners, often spurred on by "fast buck" real estate speculators, rushed to sell their homes when the first Negro families moved into the neighborhood--quickly converting it from all-white to all-Negro. But close study has now made it clear that property values are, like most other values, simply a matter of supply and demand.[5] Since Negroes have been restricted to slums and ghettos by the pressure of discrimination, they are often willing to pay more for a piece of property than the same property would be worth to a white buyer. Negro families must often spend a higher proportion of their income for adequate housing than whites, since housing for Negroes has always been in shorter supply.[6] Thus, the arrival of the first Negro family in a community may even result in a rise in property values in some instances. What happens next is in the hands of the 13