Environmental Justice & Equitable Development in Seattle#

Seattle’s history of racially restrictive covenants, federal redlining, and discriminatory land use patterns created environmental and health disparities that persist today. This guide covers the history of segregation and environmental racism, the neighborhoods most affected, the city and state equity frameworks designed to address these harms, and the anti-displacement tools being used to prevent further damage.

Redlining and racial segregation#

1936: HOLC redlining maps#

In 1936, the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) drew “residential security maps” for Seattle, grading neighborhoods from A (“Best”) to D (“Hazardous”). Race was a central factor in the grading. Neighborhoods with residents of color received C or D grades, while only white neighborhoods received A and B grades. The digitized maps are available through the University of Richmond’s Mapping Inequality project.

The Central District received a D grade. The HOLC’s confidential report described it as the “Negro area of Seattle.” The International District, Judkins, and sections of Beacon Hill south of Jackson Street also received the lowest grade due to high populations of people of color. (Seattle City Archives)

Racially restrictive covenants#

Redlining worked alongside racially restrictive covenants — private deed restrictions barring non-white residents (and sometimes Jewish residents) from purchasing or occupying homes. The University of Washington’s Racial Restrictive Covenants Project has documented more than 50,000 racially restrictive covenants in western Washington. The first known Seattle covenant was written in 1923 by the Goodwin Company for tracts in Victory Heights. On Capitol Hill, nearly 1,000 homeowners added racial restrictions to existing deeds in a coordinated campaign in the late 1920s. (UW Civil Rights & Labor History Project)

The resulting geography of exclusion created what UW historian James Gregory called an “L-shaped ghetto” running along the Jackson Street corridor and the 23rd Avenue corridor, confining Black, Asian, and Native American families to a triangle of census tracts. (UW Segregated Seattle)

1968: Open housing ordinance#

On April 19, 1968 — three weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. — the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an open housing ordinance, one of the first in the nation. Council member Sam Smith, Seattle’s first African American council member, was the law’s chief architect. Seattle voters had rejected a similar measure by a more than 2-to-1 margin in 1964. (HistoryLink)

2023: Covenant Homeownership Account Act#

Washington passed the Covenant Homeownership Account Act in April 2023, a first-in-the-nation program to compensate victims of racial restrictive covenants through homeownership assistance. (WA Legislature: HB 1474)

Environmental racism in the Duwamish Valley#

The Duwamish River Superfund site#

The Lower Duwamish Waterway is a five-mile segment of Seattle’s only river, flowing between the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods through the city’s industrial core. Over a century of industrial use contaminated river sediments with more than 40 hazardous substances, including PCBs, arsenic, and dioxins. The Washington Department of Health advises against eating crab, shellfish, or fish (except salmon) caught in the waterway. (EPA Superfund Profile)

The EPA declared the Lower Duwamish Waterway a Superfund site in 2001. The four responsible parties are King County, the Port of Seattle, the City of Seattle, and Boeing. Five early-action cleanups addressed the most contaminated hot spots between 1999 and 2017, reducing average surface sediment PCB concentrations by more than 50%. (King County)

In 2014, the EPA issued a final cleanup plan prescribing a two-decade, $342 million cleanup involving dredging, capping, and natural sedimentation across approximately 177 acres. The estimated cost has since risen to approximately $668 million. Full-scale cleanup of the upper reach began in November 2024 and is expected to take approximately 10 years of construction followed by 10 years of natural recovery. (Seattle.gov: Lower Duwamish Waterway | Seattle Times)

Health disparities#

A 2013 Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis (CHIA), co-authored by Just Health Action and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, documented stark disparities in Georgetown and South Park:

• Life expectancy: 73.3 years — 8 years shorter than the Seattle average and 13 years shorter than Laurelhurst
• Asthma: Double the rate of youth asthma hospitalizations compared to the rest of King County
• Green space: 40 square feet per resident, compared to 387 square feet citywide
• Contaminated sites: More than 100 hazardous waste sites in the Duwamish Valley
• Air quality: Among the highest PM2.5 and diesel emission levels in Seattle

(DRCC: Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis | Just Health Action: CHIA Report (PDF))

Approximately 70% of Duwamish Valley residents identify as people of color. More than 30 languages are spoken in local schools, with five major language communities: Vietnamese, Khmer, Somali, Spanish, and English. (DRCC)

Redlining’s environmental legacy#

A 2023 University of Washington study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that modern air pollution disparities mirror the 1936 redlining maps. Previously industrial redlined areas had ultrafine particle concentrations 49% above average, and the highest pollution concentrations correlated with census blocks with proportionately larger Black populations. (UW News | PubMed)

Displacement in the Central District#

The Central District is one of the most documented cases of neighborhood-level demographic reversal in any American city.

• 1970: The Central District was approximately 73% Black and home to about 15,000 Black residents — roughly 70% of Seattle’s total Black population
• 2000: White residents surpassed Black residents in the neighborhood for the first time in 30 years
• 2020: Census tracts that were 90% Black in 1970 had become 11–18% Black

Displaced Black families relocated primarily to South King County — Renton, Kent, and Federal Way. As of 2018, only 33% of King County’s Black population lived within Seattle city limits, down from 68% in 1990. (Seattle Times | UW Segregation Maps)

Economic inequality drives the displacement: the median income for a Black-headed household in Seattle was $42,500 in 2018, compared to $105,100 for white-headed households, and 73% of Black households are renters. (Seattle Times)

Chinatown-International District preservation#

The Chinatown-International District (CID) is the only area in the continental United States where Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, African American, and Vietnamese communities settled together and built one neighborhood. In 2023, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the CID to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. (National Trust)

The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) owns or manages 13 properties with 559 units of affordable housing. Most residential tenants earn at or below 30% of area median income. In January 2025, SCIDpda announced expansion into Beacon Hill. (SCIDpda | The Urbanist)

City equity frameworks#

Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI)#

Seattle established the Race and Social Justice Initiative in 2004 under Mayor Greg Nickels — the first municipal government initiative of its kind in the United States. RSJI existed only by executive order until April 2023, when the City Council permanently codified it into law through Council Bill 120525. (Seattle.gov: RSJI | Seattle.gov: RSJI History)

RSJI’s core tools include Racial Equity Toolkits (RETs), which help departments analyze the racial equity impacts of policies, programs, and budget proposals, and Change Teams — staff-led groups within departments that advocate for equity.

Equity and Environment Initiative#

Established in 2015, the Equity and Environment Initiative developed the Equity and Environment Agenda in collaboration with over 1,000 residents. The initiative created the Environmental Justice Committee (formed 2017, 12 members) and the Environmental Justice Fund, which since 2018 has awarded more than $3.8 million to 82 projects led by or in direct partnership with frontline communities. (Seattle.gov: EEI | Seattle.gov: EJ Fund)

Duwamish Valley Program#

In 2016, the City Council passed Resolution 31567 directing an interdepartmental effort to address documented inequities in the Duwamish Valley. The resulting Duwamish Valley Action Plan (released June 2018) organizes work across seven priority areas: healthy environment, parks and open space, community capacity, mobility and transportation, economic opportunity, affordable housing, and public safety. Eighteen city departments participate through the Duwamish Valley Action Team. In 2022, the program secured nearly $9 million in investments from partner departments. (Seattle.gov: DVP | Seattle.gov: Action Plan)

Equitable Development Initiative (EDI)#

The Equitable Development Initiative, launched in 2016 and administered by the Office of Planning and Community Development, provides capacity-building grants and capital funding for affordable housing, community centers, cultural spaces, and environmental remediation in neighborhoods with high displacement risk. Initial focus neighborhoods were the Chinatown-International District, Central District, Othello, and Rainier Beach. (Seattle.gov: EDI)

EDI has funded more than $116 million in grants since inception, with revenue primarily from the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax. Notable funded projects include:

• Africatown Plaza — 130 units of affordable housing at 23rd and Spring in the Central District
• Liberty Bank Building — 115 units of affordable housing with retail space for Black-owned businesses, on the site of the first African American-owned bank in the Pacific Northwest
• Little Saigon Landmark Project — Mixed-use cultural center with Southeast Asian grocery and night market

(Mayor’s Office: $27.8M EDI Awards | The Urbanist)

Anti-displacement tools#

Community Preference Policy#

In 2019, Mayor Durkan issued Executive Order 2019-02 establishing a Community Preference Policy for City-funded affordable housing in high-displacement-risk areas. The policy allows nonprofit affordable housing developers to prioritize applicants who are current residents, former residents, family members of former residents, or people with community ties to the neighborhood. The policy is currently voluntary. (Seattle Office of Housing: Community Preference)

Anti-displacement spending#

Seattle’s anti-displacement programs span 20 programs across 6 departments, with spending exceeding $50 million in 2025. Programs include tenant relocation assistance, emergency rental assistance, home repair loans and grants, and the Equitable Development Initiative. In January 2025, Mayor Harrell signed an executive order to strengthen coordination, including legislation to combat predatory cash-offer home buying schemes and a plan for preserving naturally occurring affordable housing. (Mayor’s Office: Anti-Displacement Executive Order | Seattle.gov: Anti-Displacement)

Community land trusts#

Homestead Community Land Trust (founded 1992) retains ownership of the land beneath homes and leases it to homeowners through a 99-year renewable ground lease. Homeowners agree to a resale formula capping appreciation at 1.5% compounded per year. Over 57% of Homestead homeowners are households of color.

Africatown Community Land Trust (incorporated 2016) acquires and stewards land in Greater Seattle to preserve the Black community, particularly in the Central District. Key projects include the Liberty Bank Building, Africatown Plaza, and the William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation.

One Seattle Comprehensive Plan#

The One Seattle Plan, adopted by the City Council in December 2025, integrates equity into growth strategy through an explicit Anti-Displacement Framework. The plan distributes growth more equitably: more new Neighborhood Centers are proposed where displacement risk is lower (northeast Seattle, Green Lake, Magnolia), while areas with high displacement risk receive a tailored approach encouraging preservation of existing homes. The plan roughly doubles the city’s zoning capacity from approximately 165,000 to 330,000 units. (Seattle.gov: One Seattle Plan | Anti-Displacement Framework (PDF))

State environmental justice law#

HEAL Act (2021)#

The Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act (SB 5141), signed into law in 2021, is Washington’s first statewide environmental justice law. It requires seven state agencies — Ecology, Health, Agriculture, Commerce, Natural Resources, Transportation, and Puget Sound Partnership — to incorporate environmental justice into strategic plans, budget decisions, and significant agency actions. The law created an Environmental Justice Council (14 members appointed by the Governor) to provide oversight and recommendations. (WA Dept. of Ecology: HEAL | Front and Centered: HEAL Act)

Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map#

The Environmental Health Disparities Map, developed by UW and the Department of Health, ranks communities on a scale of 1 to 10 based on environmental exposures and socioeconomic vulnerability. Communities ranked 10 live on average 5.3 years less than those ranked 1. Duwamish Valley census tracts rank among the highest disparity areas in the state. The map is mandated under the HEAL Act. (WA DOH: EHD Map | UW DEOHS)

Advocacy organizations#

• Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC): Alliance of community, tribal, environmental, and small business groups overseeing the Superfund cleanup process, advocating for river restoration and climate justice in Georgetown and South Park.
• Got Green: South Seattle-based grassroots organization led by people of color, organizing for environmental, racial, and economic justice. Co-launched Seattle’s Green New Deal campaign and helped create the Environmental Justice Fund.
• Front and Centered: Washington’s largest statewide environmental coalition of organizations led by communities of color. Led the campaign to pass the HEAL Act.
• Africatown Community Land Trust: Acquires and stewards land in Greater Seattle to preserve the Black diaspora community, particularly in the Central District.
• SCIDpda: Preservation and development authority for the Chinatown-International District, managing 559 units of affordable housing.
• Homestead Community Land Trust: Provides permanently affordable homeownership through a community land trust model, with over 57% households of color.

Data sources#

• Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map: Census-tract-level rankings of environmental and health disparities statewide.
• Mapping Inequality (University of Richmond): Digitized 1930s HOLC redlining maps and area descriptions for Seattle and 238 other cities.
• UW Racial Restrictive Covenants Project: Database of 50,000+ racially restrictive covenants in western Washington.
• Seattle Growth and Equity Analysis (PDF): Displacement risk analysis by neighborhood.
• Seattle Race and Social Equity Index: Maps and data on demographic trends and equity indicators.
• EPA Superfund Site Profile: Lower Duwamish Waterway: Cleanup status, contaminant data, and site documents.

Key statistics#

Sources: DRCC CHIA | UW Covenants Project | Seattle.gov EDI | Seattle.gov EJ Fund | Seattle Times

Related resources#

• Housing & Zoning Glossary — Redlining, racially restrictive covenants, displacement, community preference policy
• Land Use & Planning Glossary — Environmental racism, cumulative impacts, displacement risk index
• Funding & Policy Glossary — EDI, RSJI, HEAL Act, JumpStart tax, community land trusts
• Public Housing & the Seattle Housing Authority — SHA’s mixed-income strategy and HOPE VI redevelopments
• Seattle City Archives: Redlining in Seattle — Primary source exhibit with original HOLC maps
• UW Civil Rights & Labor History Project: Segregated Seattle — Comprehensive history of racial segregation in Seattle

Last updated: February 2026