In searching through past senior seminar projects I couldn't really find anyone who addressed the issues that I've been thinking about. I have been thinking about tackling issues of environmental justice with respect to the disproporiate burden that lower class and minority citizens of this country bare. A goal of this research would be to find solutions and work towards building a healthier environment in and around cities. I did find a project that had this goal in mind.
I read "Building Healthier Environments by Redesigning Our Cities" by Gillian Quinn Tart. This project was contained and overview of the importance in city planning for the goal of healthy people. She emphysized green space for recreating to cut down obesity. For the most part I thought this was a very interesting and informative project.
The only problem I had with it, was the same problem I have with the mainstream environmental movement as a whole. Green space is a wonderful thing, but who is it for? Not everyone in this country has the time to recreate and enjoy things like that. Often city planning and zoning fails to protect lower class and minority member in society from environmental health risks associated with industrial pollution. I don't fault Gillian for not addressing this matter...it wasn't her intention. It is just a wish of my own. I would like the environmental movement and policy to be seen more as a universal issue, because it truly is something that affects all of us...not just obese people who need to walk more.
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Well it is a universal issue, certaintly, however my paper ties public health to city deisgn. There are many paradigms and paths to be taken. Tying city design to crime (a really interesting subject) or tying it to poverty, as you said, are also really important.
You have to start somewhere and you can't adress every problem with one solution. I choose to focus on the importance, the hidden almost psychological importance of designing our cities for the pedestrian reather than vehicle which has almost directly turned our nation toward obesity and bad health.
Green space is just a means through which people can even be outside. Its just one of the alternatives to concrete and asphalt and streets without sidewalks.
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