Environmental Justice, Air Quality, and Parks

Abstract

In the field of environmental justice, there has been growing interest in the distribution of environmental amenities such as parks. This study examines park access in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and contributes to existing literature on park equity by introducing air quality as a measure of park quality. Park access is measured with quarter-mile buffers around the perimeters of publicly-owned parks, and areal apportionment and 50% areal containment methods are used to calculate racial/ethnic and socio-economic characteristics of the populations in these access areas. To measure air quality, air pollution-related cancer and respiratory risks are taken from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Air Toxics Assessment. This study uses factor analysis to extract two socio-economic factors of disadvantage and advantage, and finds that socio-economic status is a strong predictor of park access and air quality in the Portland area. Areas with higher levels of disadvantage and areas with lower levels of advantage experience greater air pollution-related health risks and access to fewer parks. While racial/ethnic characteristics are less significant in predicting levels of park access or air quality, racial/ethnic disparities still exist in Portland. In general, this study finds that racial/ethnic minorities experience greater air pollution-related health risks and access to fewer parks. By combining air pollution-related health risks with access to parks, this study integrates disparities in the distributions of environmental burdens and environmental amenities to more fully examine environmental justice.