We investigate the potential long-term impacts of ‘redlining’—the historical practice of assigning values to residential areas in US cities based on race and class—on the vulnerability of communities to climate risks.

Using a boundary design methodology for 202 US cities, we document that areas marked by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation as being less desirable for investment in the 1930s–1940s face disproportionately higher current and projected risks of flooding and extreme heat. These heightened vulnerabilities are partly due to diminished environmental capital in these areas—most notably, reduced tree canopy, lower ground surface permeability and lower construction foundation height. Our findings underscore the persistent influence of historical practices on the present-day distribution of climate risk exposure.

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