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Date of Award
Fall 2024
Project Type
Thesis
Abstract
The disparate distribution of environmental risks and benefits is well documented in the United States. In response, interactive mapping tools that attempt to represent and address environmental justice (EJ) issues have proliferated in recent years. By synthesizing socioeconomic and environmental data into a user-friendly interface, EJ mapping tools can inform advocacy and policy decisions that benefit disadvantaged communities. Numerous studies have contributed to the development and assessment of the indices and datasets found in these mapping tools, while other articles have highlighted approaches to and lessons learned from single cases of EJ mapping tool development. However, only a few studies have begun to explore EJ tools across multiple cases to understand broader trends in how EJ mapping tools are developed and used in practice. Through a survey, a document-analysis informed database, and interviews with tool developers, my research investigates these questions: How are EJ mapping tools developed and used in the United States? How and in what ways does engagement impact the development and use of EJ mapping tools?
I identified 153 examples of local, regional, and statewide EJ mapping tools across 38 states. Of the 60 tools represented by survey respondents, 86.7 percent sought input on the tool from a wide range of stakeholders including members of the public, academics and researchers, non-profits, and state, local, and regional governments. From indicator selection to design changes to ground truthing of data, developers highlighted numerous ways that feedback influenced the tool before, during, and after the development process. While the results suggested that efforts are being made to involve communities and stakeholders in the process, most EJ mapping tools were developed in a top-down, expert-driven manner, leaving decision-making power with the developer and limiting the potential for true community ownership of the resulting tools.
With EJ mapping tools increasingly used to inform policy decisions, I argue that every methodological choice is a political act that calls for meaningful involvement, and ideally leadership, from the stakeholders and communities that these tools represent. In addition to improvements to the tool, collaborative processes can lead to relational benefits such as greater trust and lasting relationships with participants. Developers should consider opportunities for prioritizing collaborative and community-led development processes, involving stakeholders and community members early in development, applying additional resources towards equitable engagement, improving transparency about development and engagement processes, and valuing the engagement process as much as the resulting tool. Ultimately, no EJ mapping tool will be a perfect representation of the complexities and intersectionality of community characteristics and environmental impacts, but done well, development of these tools can model procedural and distributive justice, acknowledge and incorporate local perspectives, and build community capacity to address EJ issues and advocate for their rights.
Recommended Citation
Emrick, Claire, "Just Maps? Exploring The Development And Use Of Environmental Justice Mapping Tools In The United States: Recording of Claire Emrick MS thesis defense presentation" (2024). Master's Theses and Capstones. 1872.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/1872
The MS thesis defense presentation slides are available here.