Adapting the environmental risk transition theory for urban health inequities : An observational study examining complex environmental riskscapes in seven neighborhoods in Global North cities
Cole, Helen V.S. ; Anguelovski, Isabelle ; Connolly, James J.T. ; García-Lamarca, Melissa LU
; Perez-del-Pulgar, Carmen
; Shokry, Galia
and Triguero-Mas, Margarita
(2021)
In Social Science and Medicine
277.
- Abstract
Theories of epidemiologic transition analyze the shift in causes of mortality due to changes in risk factors over time, and through processes of urbanization and development by comparing risk factors between countries or over time. These theories do not account for health inequities such as those resulting from environmental injustice, in which minority and lower income residents are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards or have less access to environmental goods. Neighborhoods with histories of environmental injustice are also at risk for gentrification as they undergo environmental improvements and new greening projects. We aimed to understand how environmental injustice, urban renewal and green gentrification could... (More)
Theories of epidemiologic transition analyze the shift in causes of mortality due to changes in risk factors over time, and through processes of urbanization and development by comparing risk factors between countries or over time. These theories do not account for health inequities such as those resulting from environmental injustice, in which minority and lower income residents are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards or have less access to environmental goods. Neighborhoods with histories of environmental injustice are also at risk for gentrification as they undergo environmental improvements and new greening projects. We aimed to understand how environmental injustice, urban renewal and green gentrification could inform the understanding of epidemiologic risk transitions. We examined 7 case neighborhoods in cities in the United States and Western Europe which were representative in terms of city region and type, which 1) had experienced a history of environmental injustice and 2) exhibited evidence of recent processes of urban renewal and/or gentrification. In each city, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 172) with city representatives, activists, non-profits, developers and residents. Respondents reported health implications of traditional (heavy pollutants, poor social conditions), transitional (decontamination, new amenities), new (gentrification, access to amenities), and emerging (displacement, climate-related risks, re-emergence of traditional exposures) exposures. Respondents reported renewed, complexified and overlapping exposures leading to poor mental and physical health and to new patterns of health inequity. Our findings point to the need for theories of environmental and epidemiologic risk transitions to incorporate analysis of trends 1) on a city-scale, acknowledging that segregation and patterns of environmental injustice have created unequal conditions within cities and 2) over a shorter and more recent time period, taking into account worsening patterns of social inequity in cities.
(Less)
- author
- Cole, Helen V.S.
; Anguelovski, Isabelle
; Connolly, James J.T.
; García-Lamarca, Melissa
LU
; Perez-del-Pulgar, Carmen
; Shokry, Galia
and Triguero-Mas, Margarita
- publishing date
- 2021-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Environmental justice, Environmental risk transition, Gentrification, Health equity
- in
- Social Science and Medicine
- volume
- 277
- article number
- 113907
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33882438
- scopus:85104362946
- ISSN
- 0277-9536
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113907
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Funding Information: The study was funded by the European Research Council under grant agreement [No 678034 ]. MTM, MGL and HC are funded by Juan de la Cierva fellowships [ FJCI-2017-33842 , FJCI-2016-30586 , IJC-2018-035322-I ] awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness . None of the funding organizations were involved in the design, analysis or writing of this article. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
- id
- d6a1d1bd-45d0-49ee-8b6e-eaa34416c066
- date added to LUP
- 2024-02-06 14:07:52
- date last changed
- 2024-04-22 22:13:59
@article{d6a1d1bd-45d0-49ee-8b6e-eaa34416c066,
abstract = {{<p>Theories of epidemiologic transition analyze the shift in causes of mortality due to changes in risk factors over time, and through processes of urbanization and development by comparing risk factors between countries or over time. These theories do not account for health inequities such as those resulting from environmental injustice, in which minority and lower income residents are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards or have less access to environmental goods. Neighborhoods with histories of environmental injustice are also at risk for gentrification as they undergo environmental improvements and new greening projects. We aimed to understand how environmental injustice, urban renewal and green gentrification could inform the understanding of epidemiologic risk transitions. We examined 7 case neighborhoods in cities in the United States and Western Europe which were representative in terms of city region and type, which 1) had experienced a history of environmental injustice and 2) exhibited evidence of recent processes of urban renewal and/or gentrification. In each city, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 172) with city representatives, activists, non-profits, developers and residents. Respondents reported health implications of traditional (heavy pollutants, poor social conditions), transitional (decontamination, new amenities), new (gentrification, access to amenities), and emerging (displacement, climate-related risks, re-emergence of traditional exposures) exposures. Respondents reported renewed, complexified and overlapping exposures leading to poor mental and physical health and to new patterns of health inequity. Our findings point to the need for theories of environmental and epidemiologic risk transitions to incorporate analysis of trends 1) on a city-scale, acknowledging that segregation and patterns of environmental injustice have created unequal conditions within cities and 2) over a shorter and more recent time period, taking into account worsening patterns of social inequity in cities.</p>}},
author = {{Cole, Helen V.S. and Anguelovski, Isabelle and Connolly, James J.T. and García-Lamarca, Melissa and Perez-del-Pulgar, Carmen and Shokry, Galia and Triguero-Mas, Margarita}},
issn = {{0277-9536}},
keywords = {{Environmental justice; Environmental risk transition; Gentrification; Health equity}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Social Science and Medicine}},
title = {{Adapting the environmental risk transition theory for urban health inequities : An observational study examining complex environmental riskscapes in seven neighborhoods in Global North cities}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113907}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113907}},
volume = {{277}},
year = {{2021}},
}