Landscape Justice Initiative, School of Architecture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Stillwater Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 27;19(9):5311. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095311.
Environmental justice advocates that all people are protected from disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards. Despite this ideal aspiration, social and environmental inequalities exist throughout greater Los Angeles. Previous research has identified and mapped pollutant levels, demographic information, and the population's socioeconomic status and health issues. Nevertheless, the complex interrelationships between these factors remain unclear. To close this knowledge gap, we first measured the spatial centrality using sDNA software. These data were then integrated with other socioeconomic and health data collected from CalEnvironScreen, with census tract as the unit of analysis. Finally, structural equation modeling (SEM) was executed to explore direct, indirect, and total effects among variables. The results show that the White population tends to reside in the more segregated areas and lives closer to green space, contributing to higher housing stability, financial security, and more education attainment. In contrast, people of color, especially Latinx, experience the opposite of the environmental benefits. Spatial centrality exhibits a significant indirect effect on environmental justice by influencing ethnicity composition and pollution levels. Moreover, green space accessibility significantly influences environmental justice via pollution. These findings can assist decision-makers to create a more inclusive society and curtail social segregation for all individuals.
环境正义倡导者主张所有人都应免受环境危害的不成比例影响。尽管有这样的理想愿望，但在大洛杉矶地区仍然存在社会和环境不平等。先前的研究已经确定并绘制了污染物水平、人口统计信息以及人口的社会经济地位和健康问题。然而，这些因素之间的复杂相互关系仍不清楚。为了弥补这一知识差距，我们首先使用 sDNA 软件测量了空间中心度。然后，将这些数据与从 CalEnvironScreen 收集的其他社会经济和健康数据（以普查区为分析单位）进行了整合。最后，执行结构方程模型（SEM）来探索变量之间的直接、间接和总效应。结果表明，白人往往居住在更加隔离的地区，并且更接近绿地，这有助于提高住房稳定性、财务安全性和更多的教育程度。相比之下，有色人种，尤其是拉丁裔，却经历着相反的环境益处。空间中心度通过影响族裔构成和污染水平对环境正义产生显著的间接影响。此外，绿地可达性通过污染对环境正义产生重大影响。这些发现可以帮助决策者创建一个更具包容性的社会，并遏制所有人的社会隔离。
