2025 Spring Seminar Series Seminar: Regina Lewis University of Kentucky

Barriers to Equity: The Evolution of Race and Place in Lexington, KY

Abstract: The Urban Service Boundary (USB), first established in 1958 in Lexington, KY, serves as a policy lever for understanding the historical and persistent nature of racial and spatial inequities in urban environments. Since its inception, the USB has expanded nine times, with the last major expansion occurring in 1996. In 2023, the Urban County Council and Planning Commission approved plans for an expansion of the USB to include 2,840 additional acres, a decision met with both support and controversy. Proponents argue that expansion is necessary to accommodate population growth and promote economic development, while critics contend that it exacerbates sprawl, reinforces existing inequalities, and threatens Lexington’s commitment to farmland preservation.

This paper traces the evolution of the USB and its impact on the development of the city, focusing on how its boundaries have shaped the racial and economic makeup of different neighborhoods. The USB, central to the city’s comprehensive planning efforts, governs where urban land uses, such as residential, commercial, and industrial, are allowed and where essential urban services, such as sanitation, street lighting, and stormwater management, are provided. These decisions, made by the Urban County Council and Planning Commission, have had a lasting impact on which neighborhoods receive the investment and services needed to thrive.

Using a causal difference-in-differences approach, this paper compares census tracts included in the original 1958 USB with those added up until 1996. Preliminary data suggests that the expansion of the USB has perpetuated existing inequities. Disparities in housing prices, median income, and the racial composition of census tracts point to the continuation of spatial inequality. This study explores how past urban policies have shaped present-day inequities and offers insight into how future urban planning decisions can better address historical harms.