Using Dasymetric Mapping to Identify Communities at Risk from Hazardous Waste Generation in San Antonio, Texas

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to examine if minorities, the poor, and non-homeowners have a higher potential for exposure than the general population to large-quantity hazardous waste generation in Bexar County, Texas. Results indicate that this is indeed the case: people living near the generators are more often Black non-Hispanic or Hispanic, and more likely to live below the poverty level and not own their own home. Although previous studies conducted in the United States have used states, counties, zip codes, or census tracts as the unit of spatial analysis, we use dasymetric mapping to create population maps at a resolution of 30 m. This allows for the reconfiguration of the areal aggregations chosen for the analysis while preserving its findings. It also reduces, if not eliminates, the effects of the Modifiable Area Unit Problem (MAUP) on the results.

Keywords:

• dasymetric mapping
• environmental equity
• hazardous waste generators