Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice
IntroductionThere is a growing demand for urban forest management that prioritizes genuine community involvement, acknowledges power imbalances within society, and embraces the principles of environmental justice. To assess current initiatives and share better/best approaches, examining how environm...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2023.1233878/full |
| _version_ | 1797766989866860544 |
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| author | Amber Grant Amber Grant Andrew A. Millward Andrew A. Millward Sara Edge |
| author_facet | Amber Grant Amber Grant Andrew A. Millward Andrew A. Millward Sara Edge |
| author_sort | Amber Grant |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThere is a growing demand for urban forest management that prioritizes genuine community involvement, acknowledges power imbalances within society, and embraces the principles of environmental justice. To assess current initiatives and share better/best approaches, examining how environmental justice principles are applied in urban forest planning and practice is crucial. This study aims to understand the perspectives of urban foresters on the factors that either facilitate or impede the attainment of environmental justice goals.MethodsInterviews were conducted with urban foresters from non-profit organizations and municipal government in San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington. The interviewees were asked to identify and discuss their tree planting and maintenance strategies, public engagement protocol, and inter-organizational collaboration processes. To provide a contextual understanding of environmental injustice in the study cities, the historical racist practice of neighborhood redlining was examined alongside current tree canopy cover, locations of environmental hazards, and the spatial distribution of persons of color and those living in poverty.ResultsThe findings revealed that urban forestry professionals in each city approached environmental justice in distinct yet complementary ways: San Francisco prioritized distributional justice, while Seattle focused on elements of procedural and recognitional justice. The Race and Social Justice Initiative in Seattle and Proposition E in San Francisco have been instrumental in identifying and addressing inequities in urban forest planning and practice.Discussion/conclusionCreating fair and inclusive urban forestry practices that prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods has been a difficult task for both cities. Acknowledging and addressing past policies and cultural perspectives that have led to marginalization is crucial for building trust with these communities. Moving forward, prioritizing recognitional justice in urban forest planning and management should be a top priority. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:32:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63b62432e59043eba27d51a22fce69e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-9634 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:32:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
| spelling | doaj.art-63b62432e59043eba27d51a22fce69e12023-08-01T19:12:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Cities2624-96342023-08-01510.3389/frsc.2023.12338781233878Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practiceAmber Grant0Amber Grant1Andrew A. Millward2Andrew A. Millward3Sara Edge4Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, CanadaUrban Forest Research and Ecological Disturbance (UFRED) Group, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, CanadaUrban Forest Research and Ecological Disturbance (UFRED) Group, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, CanadaIntroductionThere is a growing demand for urban forest management that prioritizes genuine community involvement, acknowledges power imbalances within society, and embraces the principles of environmental justice. To assess current initiatives and share better/best approaches, examining how environmental justice principles are applied in urban forest planning and practice is crucial. This study aims to understand the perspectives of urban foresters on the factors that either facilitate or impede the attainment of environmental justice goals.MethodsInterviews were conducted with urban foresters from non-profit organizations and municipal government in San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington. The interviewees were asked to identify and discuss their tree planting and maintenance strategies, public engagement protocol, and inter-organizational collaboration processes. To provide a contextual understanding of environmental injustice in the study cities, the historical racist practice of neighborhood redlining was examined alongside current tree canopy cover, locations of environmental hazards, and the spatial distribution of persons of color and those living in poverty.ResultsThe findings revealed that urban forestry professionals in each city approached environmental justice in distinct yet complementary ways: San Francisco prioritized distributional justice, while Seattle focused on elements of procedural and recognitional justice. The Race and Social Justice Initiative in Seattle and Proposition E in San Francisco have been instrumental in identifying and addressing inequities in urban forest planning and practice.Discussion/conclusionCreating fair and inclusive urban forestry practices that prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods has been a difficult task for both cities. Acknowledging and addressing past policies and cultural perspectives that have led to marginalization is crucial for building trust with these communities. Moving forward, prioritizing recognitional justice in urban forest planning and management should be a top priority.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2023.1233878/fullenvironmental justiceurban forestredliningdistributional justiceprocedural justicerecognitional justice |
| spellingShingle | Amber Grant Amber Grant Andrew A. Millward Andrew A. Millward Sara Edge Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice Frontiers in Sustainable Cities environmental justice urban forest redlining distributional justice procedural justice recognitional justice |
| title | Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| title_full | Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| title_fullStr | Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| title_short | Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| title_sort | pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice |
| topic | environmental justice urban forest redlining distributional justice procedural justice recognitional justice |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2023.1233878/full |
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