Visualizing Environmental Project

MY CHOSEN PROPOSAL ON LAST PAGE

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Visualizing environmental (in)justice, thesis/outline/annotated bibliography

The major project for this course requires that you research and visualize a domestic or international case of environmental injustice. You are not obligated to use GIS or other mapping software, but you must somehow visualize the spatial relationships involved in your case. A range of techniques/formats will be accepted (e.g. computer-generated or hand drawn maps, paintings, textile art, food art, comic strips, flipbook animations, 3D models or representations), so get creative! This will be accompanied by a 10-page paper (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, inclusive of reference list and your visualization) that accomplishes the following:

• engages at least 5 academic sources (e.g journal articles, books, book chapters in an edited volume) beyond those we’ve read in class
• critically analyzes the history and origins of the case
• describes the significance of the spatial relationships you have chosen to visualize
• researches what is or ought to be done to address the specific environmental inequality at the heart of the case
• conforms to APA format (this means following APA style rules for in-text citations and reference list formatting, refer to APA resources below)

In other words, this assignment asks you not only to study a real-world instance of environmental injustice but also to investigate or envision a path toward transformative environmental justice. Frontline communities are not merely victims. Many are fighting back against the environmental harms and hazards they face by leveraging the power of collective action. Before you envision your own solutions, educate yourself about the activism already taking place at your site and evaluate the solutions proposed by those actors and organizations.

It may be useful to reference Sze & Londons (2008) graphic on environmental inequality formation, which we reviewed in Week 1 (also linked below). What is the formation of the environmental inequality youre highlighting? Who are the stakeholders? What have their negotiations looked like? What is the identified problem; causes, disproportionate burdens/amenities, social hierarchies? Lastly, what would a truly just solution (predicated on sustainability, safety, productivity, and/or care) look like?

(NO AI, THIS ASSIGNMENT INCLUDES THESIS, OUTLINE, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND FINAL 10 PAGES)

Visualizing Environmental (In)justice Project Project Proposal

For my Visualizing Environmental (In)justice project, I intend to look at the types of environments at risk that homeless communities in Los Angeles face. Unsheltered homeless communities in Los Angeles pose a huge issue regarding their environment since they face huge risks associated with their living conditions, and these risks involve pollution from vehicle emissions, high levels of heat in their environments since they do not receive adequate shading, toxic soil and water, and high chances of flooding when it rains. Also, since they do not receive adequate representation in politics and may not access adequate health care and housing, their environment poses a huge threat since those in sheltered environments face none. This is a situation of environmental injustice, wherein there is an unequal distribution of environment-related hazards. Homeless individuals tend to reside in areas surrounding freeways, rail yards, oil wells, and factories since those regions are not only undesired but highly polluted. Los Angeles has been documented regarding the severe air pollution found along the major freeways. Coupled with the Climate Change driven heat waves, the LA Region faces another serious challenge, Extreme Heat. The unhoused, lacking A/C, shade, and safe water, are left extremely susceptible to heat illness and death. Another serious danger to the unhoused is flooding, especially those who are forced to live in the storm drains and riverbeds.

This problem gets further aggravated due to issues such as an increase in the price of housing. What is at stake in this given case is the health and dignity of humanity.First, environmental injustice is at play in that homeless populations are profoundly affected by environmental problems but have no direct influence over environmental or housing policy. In this particular case, it is also important to recognize that environmental justice issues must relate to housing justice issues in that safe housing is fundamental to protecting human life from environmental issues. For this visual portion of this particular project, I aim to place homeless encampments in relation to highways, heat-sensitive locations, flood plains, and pollution locations.

I will also embed temperature maps, air quality data, and photos to illustrate how environmental hazards intersect with homelessness in Los Angeles. In so doing, these patterns visualize how environmental injustice works within the spaces of everyday urban life and why the unhoused must be an included part of environmental justice.