Blog post #3 - Environmental equity and protection against environmental stressors and hazards in the community

The emphasis of this entry was to address the ways in which the state of city planning is protecting against environmental stressors and hazards in the area I am familiar with. Unfortunately, in the area I am familiar with, the area known in the City of Chicago as the Southeast section of the city, I cannot state that there is environmental equity and protection against environmental stressors and hazards. On the contrary, it seems that the area is constantly being threatened with environmental stressors and hazards.

The Southeast section of the city, the area that is the furthest area away from what people think of as being part of the city, is very socioeconomically diverse. Just like there are economically upper and middle-class areas, there are also areas that would be considered economically lower-class. The areas within the lower-class section of the city are impoverished due to the loss of industry that was once booming. Crime often takes place in those areas.

Perhaps because of poverty, crime and its proximity to the downtown center, the Southeast section of the city, is an easy target to environmental stressors and hazards. Not only is the Southeast section “forgotten”, but it would almost seem that in an effort to curtail the violence that abounds in some of the neighborhoods in that area, the city or its planners are constantly looking for ways to get rid of the malady by overlooking environmental stressors and hazards or trying to implement new ones. Unfortunately, when employing that tactic, all the residents that live anywhere within the Southeast section are the ones that are affected by the decisions of those in positions of authority.

Some examples of ways in which environmental stressors and hazards were almost implemented or are an issue in this present day in the Southeast section of the city:

--Supported by then Mayor Daley in the 1980’s, a third airport threatened to displace residents of the area. Had the project been approved and executed, a third airport in the Chicago metropolitan area would have caused additional pollution issues to the city.

--Steel mills and other factories that have closed remained on site for years without any remediation efforts. In the neighborhood of South Deering, one site was supposedly found to be highly contaminated. To this day, many people that worked in those factories and local residents, are suffering from ill-effects which are believed to be directly related to the nearby factories.

--The wetland in Hegewisch was threatened to be demolished due to urbanization efforts. (See “Blog entry #1” for more detail.)

--Two years ago, a proposed landfill ordinance would have lifted a landfill moratorium. The local Alderman and residents gathered in unison to curtail the projected plans by speak out and protesting against its development.

--CURRENT ISSUE: residents are being exposed to airborne toxins and particulate matter from a Pet Coke mound that is being kept nearby. Exposure to the toxin result in symptoms ranging from allergies and asthma to cancer.

Supporting articles of potential interest to reader:

Lake Calumet area to benefit from federal, state conservation support -http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/chicago/lake-calumet-area-to-benefit-from-federal-state-conservation-support/article_a2ce7351-520e-50b3-afbe-c0726f991658.html

Chicago alderman encourages residents' opposition to landfill ordinance

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/chicago/chicago-alderman-encourages-residents-opposition-to-landfill-ordinance/article_5f62b3e6-a27b-5896-9913-8ea50b75cb28.html

Petcoke Piles on the Calumet: Chicago's newest tar sands blight

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/hhenderson/petcoke_calumet.html