Redlining Project

Preregistration of analyses

Analysis #1

Research Question: Is there a correlation between different regions in the United States and the percentage of their population that live within certain HOLC grades?

Hypothesis:

If we compare the redlining grades of different metropolitan areas across different regions in the United States, then will some regions, such as the South, find more of their population within the D, or “hazardous” grade?

Detailed Analysis Plan: 

In finding the answer to this question, we will analyze the percentage of population by first defining the region that the metropolitan area is in based on the state it is located in. Then, we will summarize the data in each region by combining the populations within each HOLC grade within each region, comparing the final percentages of population in each grade between the regions, and finding if some regions in the United States have more of their population within certain HOLC grades.

Analysis #2

Research Question: Is there a correlation between the dominant racial makeup of an area and the HOLC grade it receives? 

Analysis Plan: One way we could answer this question would be to determine the average percentage of residents of each race that lives in an area that gets an A, B, C or D grade by looking at total populations across the U.S. We can then compare our calculated average based on the US total to the average percentage based on individual regions, and highlight any correlations between certain grades and races.

Hypothesis: When we observe the HOLC grades per letter (A-D) in each zone in relation to the racial demographics, we would expect to see a correlation between high percentages of white residents and higher letter grades in a given zone. We would also expect to see a correlation between high percentages of POC/marginalized groups (black, hispanic, and asian residents) and lower HOLC grades.