Mapping Environmental Justice and Uplifting Community Survival in Southwest Detroit

Abstract

Given the sustained advocacy and large body of research on Environmental Justice (EJ) in Southwest Detroit, The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) sought out an Environmental Justice grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to address disparate impacts and environmental burden in the state. The proposal for this grant included the creation of a 48217/Southwest Detroit GIS module for the state’s in - development Environmental Justice Screening Tool, MiEJScreen. This Detroit module, housed within the larger grant to generate a community resiliency plan for the The Southwest Detroit area, was then developed into a master’s project for SEAS students. Our research addresses indicators of environmental justice and the relevance of community resilience to the lived experience and advocacy of community members in the Metro Detroit area. In this study, we combine existing data to visualize these indicators in Metro Detroit through an EJ Screening Tool, and create recommendations for a community resilience plan. Using a mixed methods approach, we utilize semistructured interviews and survey analysis to collect data that a) informs the indicators, methods, and communication materials for the Southwest Detroit EJ Screening Tool and b) guides recommendations made for EGLE on the creation of a community resilience plan for Southwest Detroit.