A Novel Environmental Justice Indicator for Managing Local Air Pollution

Jing Zhao, Laura Gladson and Kevin Cromar
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Jing Zhao: Marron Institute of Urban Management, New York University, 60 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, USA
Laura Gladson: Marron Institute of Urban Management, New York University, 60 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, USA
Kevin Cromar: Marron Institute of Urban Management, New York University, 60 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Environmental justice efforts in the United States seek to provide equal protection from environmental hazards, such as air pollution, to all groups, particularly among traditionally disadvantaged populations. To accomplish this objective, the U.S. EPA has previously required states to use an environmental justice screening tool as part of air quality planning decision-making. The generally utilized approach to assess potential areas of environmental justice concern relies on static comparisons of environmental and demographic information to identify areas where minority and low income populations experience elevated environmental exposures, but does not include any additional information that may inform the trade-offs that sub-populations of varying socio-demographic groups make when choosing where to reside in cities. In order to address this limitation, job accessibility (measured by a mobility index defining the number of jobs available within a set commuting time) was developed as a novel environmental justice indicator of environmental justice priority areas at the local level. This approach is modeled using real-world data in Allegheny County, PA (USA), and identifies areas with relatively high levels of outdoor air pollution and low access to jobs. While traditional tools tend to flag the poorest neighborhoods for environmental justice concerns, this new method offers a more refined analysis, targeting populations suffering from the highest environmental burden without the associated benefits of urban living.

Keywords: environmental justice; outdoor air pollution; fine particulate matter; job accessibility; mobility index; urban management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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