Engineering projects have disproportionately impacted the health and wealth of communities of color, with some arguing that these projects are manifestations of systemic racism. One of the critical aspects influencing environmental justice in the South Bronx is the Cross Bronx Expressway, a project conceived by Robert Moses between

1948 and 1963 that segregated the borough into north and south sections, leading to urban poverty and bling (Figure 1). Often referred to as a “sacrifice zone,” the South Bronx has become internationally recognized for the challenges it faces (Pocock & Palin, 2021). Additionally, a proposed plan to store radioactive waste in southeastern New Mexico raises concerns about the potential environmental impact and health consequences, emphasizing the need for equitable and sustainable solutions (Pocock & Palin, 2021). ht. Vehicle pollution has led to high asthma rates among the overwhelmingly Hispanic and Black population, and the South Bronx has reported some of New York City’s highest hospitalization and mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration has made environmental justice a focus across federal agencies and earmarked funds for racial equity in the recently signed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. However, some experts worry that increased land values could accelerate gentrification (Pocock & Palin, 2021). Environmental engineering professor Joshua Apte at the University of California, Berkeley is promoting students’ understanding of environmental injustice by focusing on the social and political components of technical problems. Khalid Kadir, a civil and environmental engineer at UC Berkeley, has led justice-centered education at the University of Washington and offers a lecture on “Engineering Justice?” in his course Engineering, Environment, and Society (Pocock & Palin, 2021).

The University of Michigan is implementing an interdisciplinary “equity-centered mindset” to improve engineering education, leading by dean Alec Gallimore. Active-learning projects with equity at their core for all engineering students are central to achieving this goal. Gallimore advocates for ABET accreditation changes and the inclusion of people-first education as a baked-in requirement for all engineering schools (Pocock & Palin, 2021). The environmental justice movement in New York City has been a focal point for addressing the advocacy of racial minority and low-income groups, with a historical examination of the intersection between urban planning and public health in specific neighborhoods. Pocock & Palin (2021) shed light on this movement, emphasizing its significance in Sunset Park, Williamsburg, West Harlem, and the South Bronx.

Environmental and climate justice activists have been advocating for policymakers to address environmental injustices for the past three decades. Studies show that environmental racism is deeply rooted in U.S. spatial dynamics, with African-Americans being 75% more likely to live in areas near hazardous waste facilities and Black Americans subjected to higher levels of air pollution than White Americans. However, local, state, and national policies directed at mitigating climate change and boosting sustainability do little to tackle racial disparities. This essay explores the disconnect between sustainability and racial justice by highlighting the links between sustainable urban planning initiatives, gentrification, and the displacement of vulnerable communities.

 

Examples include Mumbai, India, where government agencies and international NGOs collaborated on efforts to conserve urban mangrove forests, but these efforts contained polluting facilities, dense populations, and poorly constructed apartment buildings. New York City, where sustainability provided a rubric for the creation of new parks, restored waterfronts, green roofs, environmental cleanups, and other eco-friendly initiatives, transformed formerly industrial neighborhoods into high-priced futuristic urban oases, driving up real estate prices and rents, threatening to displace low-income people and communities of color. In examining the relationship between environmental justice and gentrification, Checker (2021) explores the obstacles and possibilities for creating equitable and sustainable urban environments in New York City. The Bloomberg administration’s development strategies, particularly the recreation of industrial waterfronts with green amenities, played a significant role in gentrification. The article highlights the complex relationship between environmental inequalities, urban development, and the experiences of underserved communities (Checker, 2021).                      

The role of green space in development strategies is evident in the Bloomberg administration’s efforts to market New York City to upper-level employees. The creation of lush parks, waterfront esplanades, and other green amenities contributed to the gentrification of formerly industrialized areas. However, the article also reveals community resistance, such as the formation of the West Harlem Environmental Action Coalition, which sued the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for operating the North River Sewage Treatment Plant as a public and private nuisance (Checker, 2021).

Despite the city’s initiatives for environmental improvements, the North Shore activists found themselves protesting permits for more polluting facilities, illustrating the complex dynamics of environmental justice and gentrification. The North Shore and West Shore of Staten Island were identified as having the highest level of industrial activity in a 2014 research conducted by the NYC Planning Department, which evaluated the 21 Industrial Business Zones in the city. The Industrial Business Zones in Maspeth, Queens, Eastchester, the Bronx, and Ridgewood, Queens, ranked after these. Notably, there were significant rates of poverty and a sizable population of people of color in each of these highly industrialized locations. Forty Additionally, they had a poor ranking (Figure) on an indicator that tracked gentrification in New York City from 2000 to 2016.41 These associations imply that the locations of environmental dangers continue to be concentrated in regions with low densities of new residential construction and large concentrations of persons of color and poverty. The example of New York City demonstrates how environmental improvements, under the guise of sustainability, can accelerate gentrification processes, attracting wealthier residents while potentially disregarding the existing community’s needs (Checker, 2021).