Final answer:
Showing Asian American apartments only in areas primarily inhabited by Asian Americans is an act of steering. Steering and blockbusting are both practices that contribute to housing segregation, with steering being potentially more subtle and blockbusting historically more exploitative. These practices are contrary to fair housing laws aimed at eliminating discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
Showcasing Asian American apartments only in areas principally inhabited by Asian Americans is known as steering. This practice involves real estate agents guiding potential buyers to look at homes in neighborhoods predominantly occupied by people of the buyer's same ethnicity. While steering may sometimes be a subconscious act to help people feel at home in their neighborhood, it can also be a discriminatory practice that contributes to ethnic segregation.
The practice of blockbusting was a more overtly discriminatory and exploitative technique used in the past, where realtors played on the racial fears of whites to create a turnover in property ownership at the expense of both white and minority homeowners. Blockbusting and subsequent white flight have been illegal since the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but steering persists in subtler forms, despite being contrary to the spirit of fair housing laws.
Steering, along with practices like mortgage discrimination and the establishment of restrictive covenants, continues to affect housing patterns and reinforces the segregation of neighborhoods, a significant concern for social and legal institutions aiming to promote equality and eliminate discrimination in housing.