A study by Jermaine Toney, associate professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and James Kelly, a 2020 graduate of the Master of Public Policy program, reports on May 1 that exclusionary housing practices in El Paso were mainly driven by private agreements rather than federal agencies like the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).
The findings are significant because they challenge common beliefs about the causes of segregation in American cities. The study suggests that private restrictive covenants—agreements written into property deeds—played a larger role in racial and economic exclusion than government-backed mortgage programs.
Restrictive covenants were commonly used by real estate developers, lenders, and neighborhood organizations to limit who could buy property. The research found that these covenants affected nearly 46 percent of platted land in El Paso. However, only about 7.6 percent of HOLC-backed mortgages were connected to properties with such restrictions. Of the 1,515 HOLC-supported properties examined in the study, most were not linked to racially or economically restrictive covenants.
“We document that there is limited overlap between HOLC mortgages and properties with race — or economic — based restrictive covenants,” according to Toney and Kelly’s study. “Covenanted properties account for a modest portion of all HOLC-backed mortgages in El Paso.”
The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy has been recognized for its contributions through its Hall of Fame since 2013 and annual achievement awards dating back to 1994 according to the official website. The school also advances social impact through research centers focused on community development, transportation, health, workforce development and energy policy according to its official website. It holds national rankings including third place for its graduate urban planning program and fourth for undergraduate public health according to its official website.
Part of Rutgers University—the State University of New Jersey—the Bloustein School focuses on fostering just, socially inclusive communities at local through global levels according to its official website. Stuart Shapiro became dean in 2023 according to the school’s official site.