HOW THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF CLEVELAND'S REDLINED AREAS AFFECT SOIL LEAD CONCENTRATIONS AND OTHER SOIL PARAMETERS

Today Cleveland remains one of the most segregated large cities in the United States, where the legacy of redlining from the 1930s has been linked to persisting economic, social, and health inequities. Here, we ask whether Cleveland's legacy of redlining is connected to modern environmental metrics such as heavy metals in the soil and soil health. We sampled over 30 sites and 100 subsites evenly distributed among the four Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) neighborhood categories. Soil lead was quantified by XRF analysis. Other soil parameters, such as soil organic carbon and bulk density, were measured. We analyzed residential lots (near street, yard, and dripline), community gardens, and playground samples using ANOVAs and Linear models. Redlined (HOLC category "D") communities averaged higher lead concentrations but failed to be significant (p = 0.305). For residential properties, the best data model determined by AIC included the location within the property and house age (p = 0.006), with home age and yard location accounting for 20% of the variation. High-exposure locations such as playgrounds and food gardens generally had lower soil lead levels, with playgrounds having the lowest mean concentrations (p=0.047), regardless of the HOLC category. Additional results on other soil parameters, such as bulk density, soil organic carbon, and pH, are pending. We continue our work by exploring other explanatory factors, such as exterior building material and the role of gentrification. Our results are consistent with the historical use of lead-based paint and with those from other cities sampled as part of the Redlining Metal Network.