Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania took the dramatic step of officially declaring racism a public health threat. Public policy has yet to mitigate the city's worsening air quality, however.
The Pittsburgh City Council voted in December 2019 to declare racism a public health crisis, led by councilmembers Ricky Burgess and R. Daniel Lavelle.
As noted in an article by Brentin Mock, the city's track record of environmental justice has faced criticism from two recent reports: "One was a Columbia Journalism Review report, published in October by Thomas Jefferson University media professor Letrell Deshan Crittenden, entitled [sic] 'The Pittsburgh problem: race, media and everyday life in the Steel City.' The other was a study released in September on gender and race inequality, which found Pittsburgh was statistically among the worst cities for African Americans to live in, particularly for black women."
Mock provides more background on the issues of pollution and race in the city, which calls into question Pittsburgh's accolades at the country's "most livable city." The vote coincidentally timed with weather that blanketed the city in smog for weeks.
According to Mock, the vote by the council followed the lead of Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first cities to pass this kind of legislation earlier in 2019. The Pittsburgh City Council's vote, however, lacks any funding to back up words with deeds, so progress on the environmental justice challenges facing the city is still to be determined.
Read the full story: How Racism Became a Public Health Crisis in Pittsburgh
Study: Air Pollution Disproportionately Impacts Communities of Color
The negative effects of poor air quality occur at higher rates in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, according to new research.
Democrats Call for Stronger Action on Environmental Justice
The Justice40 initiative could make a major difference for communities burdened by pollution, but only if funds are spent on projects that maintain a focus on equity.
Report: The West Is the Worst for Air Quality
Thanks to longer fire seasons and increasingly intense blazes, Western states are experiencing the nation’s worst air quality.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight
While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.
Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US
Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello