LINK TO ARTICLE Citation:
Wakefield, Sarah E.l, Susan J Elliott, Donald C Cole, and John D Eyles. "Environmental Risk and (re)action: Air Quality, Health, and Civic Involvement in an Urban Industrial Neighbourhood." Health & Place 7, no. 3 (2001): 163-77. Accessed September 27, 2015. doi:10.1016/S1353-8292(01)00006-5.
Abstract
This paper explores the links between (perceived) environmental risk and community (re) action in an urban industrial neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with residents of an area with a documented history of adverse air quality, in order to determine the relative influence of social capital (networks, norms, and social trust) and place attachment (sense of belonging in a neighbourhood) in deciding to take civic action around this particular environmental issue. The interviews illustrate the complexity of lay understandings of air pollution, and indicate that social capital is a primary contributor to the decision to take certain kinds of action, while attachment to place plays a lesser role.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
Air pollution is perceived as a greater problem when residents can see, smell, or touch evidence of it
It was perceived as a lesser problem if the neighborhood had higher rates of crime
Actions were often taken to reduce risk of the individual coming into contact with pollution, but seldom taken as a group effort
Group actions and activism are often not pursued for:
Stigma of living in a certain "bad" neighborhood
not knowing who to contact about air pollution/lacking social currency to do so
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
The testimonies of residents were listened to, and assuming they were honest in their replies, that is really the best way to judge a communities feelings.
Common themes were found between each interview, reinforcing that these are the feelings of a community.
Previous studies had also noticed the importance of feeling included in a community as a prerequisite to other types of community involvement.
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
"Those respondents who were active in local community groups, and even some of those not active but aware of the activities of groups in their community, did not report the same feelings of powerlessness, and seemed more comfortable with the steps necessary to contact government and other representatives about air pollution, or to contact relevant community organizations"
"For some respondents, this sense of powerlessness was associated with the ‘stigma’ (Edelstein (1987) and Edelstein (1993)) of living in their area, and to ongoing difficulties getting other complaints resolved. These respondents felt that the poor reputation of their neighbourhood limited the extent to which others (e.g., bureaucrats) were willing to help them address their air pollution (and other) concerns"
"Respondents did, however, note their lack of “scientific” knowledge of the issue, making them somewhat uncomfortable voicing claims that air pollution was responsible for poor health in the area."
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
Recordings of in-depth interviews of members of the community were transcribed and summarized.
A survey about basic involvement and preventative actions was sent out to more residents, the responses included in this analysis.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
That is really the focus of this report, and these issues are very well addressed. Community engagement, as well as Air pollution activism, were correlated with attachment/inclusiveness felt with the community. However, it is nearly a chicken vs. egg situation because community engagement leads to feeling included. It was unclear how to address this final issue.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
Some articles such as this reference this study when discussing community self organization. In the case of the example, it looks at how a community can prepare itself from a disaster pollution situation.
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
This study was funded by Health departments and a humanities department, so it centers on how people decide to participate. I'm surprised health wasn't more directly discussed, but I supposed a decrease in exposure risk is correlated with an increase in successful community involvement/petitions against polluters.
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
I thought it was interesting that when residents feel they lack "scientific knowledge" about air pollution, they are less likely to try to take action against air pollution in their area because they aren't sure, or can't prove, exactly how it negatively impacts their health and instead deal with the sensory impacts of pollution day to day. It shows how important education can be in terms of empowering a community to defend its right to clean air.
Though this does not take place in Houston or Philadelphia, I thought the information in this article could apply to neighborhoods of each city.
- Full citation and abstract?
LINK TO ARTICLECitation:
Wakefield, Sarah E.l, Susan J Elliott, Donald C Cole, and John D Eyles. "Environmental Risk and (re)action: Air Quality, Health, and Civic Involvement in an Urban Industrial Neighbourhood." Health & Place 7, no. 3 (2001): 163-77. Accessed September 27, 2015. doi:10.1016/S1353-8292(01)00006-5.
Abstract
This paper explores the links between (perceived) environmental risk and community (re) action in an urban industrial neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with residents of an area with a documented history of adverse air quality, in order to determine the relative influence of social capital (networks, norms, and social trust) and place attachment (sense of belonging in a neighbourhood) in deciding to take civic action around this particular environmental issue. The interviews illustrate the complexity of lay understandings of air pollution, and indicate that social capital is a primary contributor to the decision to take certain kinds of action, while attachment to place plays a lesser role.