verb
- to cause (a neighborhood) to experience rapid demographic change by inducing white residents to sell their homes, typically through fear or pressure, often followed by purchase by residents of color at reduced prices
Usage: historical; often considered offensive or pejorative; primarily U.S. context, mid-20th century
Examples
- Real estate agents were accused of using scare tactics to blockbust the neighborhood in the 1960s.
- Unscrupulous developers would blockbust residential areas to acquire properties cheaply.
- The practice of blockbusting contributed to residential segregation and urban decay in many American cities.
- Civil rights legislation eventually made blockbusting illegal in most jurisdictions.