Tainted Legacy: The history of Austin's racial segregation and development of the Colony Park neighborhood
By Meghan Nguyen
Years of housing discrimination and segregation pushed the city of Austin's Black population into the eastern part of the city. The impact of these policies is still being felt today. This timeline chronicles the history of Austin's racial segregation, and also tells the story of how city and community leaders are trying to revitalize an East Austin neighborhood called Colony Park.
Late 1800s - Early 1900s
Black and Hispanic residents spread across the city
African-Americans and Hispanics lived in pockets dispersed throughout the city, as shown through maps from historic data.
Images courtesy of the Austin-American Statesman
The blue and red dots on this map denote African-American and Hispanic households in Austin.
1917
Austin responds to Supreme Court ruling
A 1917 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down segregationist zoning laws, so Austin and cities across the South started developing new policies to isolate minorities.
In this clip, Rubi Suarez of Texas Health and Human Services discusses the 1917 ruling and how Austin developed new discriminatory policies for the city.
Image courtesy of the Supreme Court government website
1928
1928 city plan creates a "Negro District"
The strategy to isolate minorities came in the form of the 1928 Koch and Fowler city plan, which proposed the creation of a “Negro District”. This district was the only part of the city where African-Americans could access schools and other public services.
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The legalized segregation of Black people by the 1928 Master Plan evolved into the effective and real segregation of Black and Hispanic people in East Austin. Both forms of segregation kept Austin’s minority populations “out of sight and out of mind.”
Image courtesy of the City of Austin
This clip from Daniel Foster of Three Minutes of History explains the policies of the 1928 Austin city plan.
1935
New Deal program formalizes boundaries through redlining
The federal government launched a New Deal program in 1935 that reinforced segregationist boundaries in Austin and throughout the country. The program excluded most minority communities through redlining — the practice of denying or charging more for goods and services in certain neighborhoods, usually determined by race.
Government-backed mortgages wouldn’t be offered in redlined districts, and virtually all the minority neighborhoods were redlined. In Austin, the largest redlined section included Koch and Fowler’s “negro district.”
Image courtesy of The University of Texas
A 1935 map of Austin, Texas with redline demarcations.
1940s – present day
Legacy of segregation paves the way for gentrification, income segregation, higher crime rates and more
The effects of those segregationist policies are still visible today, as the vast majority of Austin’s African-American and Hispanic populations remain east of I-35.
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Gentrification, income segregation and lack of access to adequate resources are issues that have compounded as a result, and contributed to the disenfranchisement of neighborhoods in this eastern crescent.
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Together, these forces divided Austin in the past and keep it divided today.
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Image courtesy of The University of Texas
A 2016 map of Austin's census tracts most vulnerable to gentrification and displacement.
Laura Cortez of Cortez Consulting discusses the "Eastern Crescent" of Austin in this short clip.
2012– present
Community/city leaders and residents begin working on the Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative
Funded by a $3 million grant the City of Austin won in 2012 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Sustainable Communities program, the Colony Park Sustainable Community is finally coming together through the efforts of developers, city and community leaders, students and residents.
The initiative is an opportunity to develop the 208 acres of property in Northeast Austin and to revive the neighborhoods nearby, where residents have historically struggled with crime and a lack of available transportation, retail, and entertainment options.
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The City and Catellus Development Corporation are now working towards the next phase of implementation for the initiative, building on the work that has already been established by residents and utilizing the community's eight pillars of needs to focus their work. The City and Catellus now have a two-year time frame to negotiate the Master Development Agreement. An expansive timeline of the initiative and conceptual plans can be found here.
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Image and master plan courtesy of the City of Austin