Application of a Global Environmental Equity Index in Montreal: Diagnostic and Further Implications

Abstract

Urban living environments are known to influence human well-being and health. The literature on environmental equity focuses especially on the distribution of nuisances and resources, which, because of the unequal spatial distribution of different social groups, leads to an increased exposure to risks or to less access to beneficial elements for certain populations. Little work has been done on the multidimensionality of different environmental burdens and the lack of resources in some urban environments. This article has two main objectives. The first objective is to construct an environmental equity index that takes into consideration seven components of the urban environment (traffic-related pollutants, proximity to major roads and highways, vegetation, access to parks, access to supermarkets, and the urban heat island effect). The second objective is to determine whether groups vulnerable to different nuisances—namely, individuals under fifteen years old and the elderly—and those who tend to be located in the most problematic areas according to the environmental justice literature (i.e., visible minorities and low-income populations) are affected by environmental inequities associated with the application of the composite index at the city block level. The results obtained by using four statistical techniques show that, on the Island of Montreal, low-income persons and, to a lesser extent, visible minorities are more frequently located in city blocks close to major roads and with higher concentrations of NO₂ and less vegetation. Finally, the environmental equity index is significantly lower in areas with high concentrations of low-income populations in comparison with the wealthiest areas.

众所週知，城市生活环境影响着人类的福祉与健康。环境公平的文献，特别聚焦公害与资源的分布，并且因为不同社会群体不公平的空间分佈，导致特定的群体曝险度增加，亦或是有益元素的获取管道减少。在若干城市环境中，至今仍显少有研究关注不同环境负荷与资源缺乏的多重面向性。本文有两个主要目标：第一个目标在于建立一个环境公平指标，该指标将城市环境的七大组成纳入考量（与交通相关的污染，主要道路和高速公路的邻近性，植被，使用公园的管道，使用超市的管道，以及城市热岛效应)。第二个目标则是决定对不同公害具有脆弱性的团体——亦即低于十五岁者和老人——以及倾向定居在环境正义文献认为最有问题的地区者（例如可见的少数族裔和低收入人口)，是否受到与城市街廓层级的复合指标之应用有关的环境不公所影响。运用四个统计技术所得到的研究结果显示，在蒙特娄岛上，低收入者以及程度较为轻微的可见少数族裔，更常定居于靠近主要道路的城市街廓，并且有较高的二氧化氮的集中与较稀疏的植被。最后，相较于最富裕的地区而言，低收入人口高度集中之地的环境公平指标显着较低。

Es conocida la influencia que los entornos residenciales urbanos ejercen sobre el bienestar y la salud humanos. La literatura relacionada con justicia ambiental se enfoca especialmente sobre la distribución de inconvenientes y recursos, lo cual, debido a la desigual distribución espacial de diferentes grupos sociales, conduce a la creciente exposición al riesgo o al acceso limitado de ciertas poblaciones a los elementos que podrían favorecerlas. Poco trabajo se ha hecho sobre la multidimensionalidad de diferentes cargas ambientales y la falta de recursos en algunos espacios urbanos. Este artículo tiene dos objetivos principales. El primero es construir un índice de justicia ambiental que tome en consideración seis componentes del medio ambiente urbano (contaminantes derivados del tránsito, proximidad a las principales carreteras y autopistas, vegetación, acceso a parques, acceso a supermercados, y el efecto de la isla urbana de calor). El segundo objetivo es determinar si los grupos de población vulnerables a diferentes inconvenientes—o sea, los individuos menores de quince años y los ancianos—y aquellos que tienden a ubicarse en las áreas más problemáticas según la literatura sobre justicia ambiental (i.e., minorías visibles y poblaciones de bajos ingresos) son afectadas por injusticias ambientales asociadas con la aplicación del índice compuesto a nivel de manzana urbana. Los resultados obtenidos mediante el uso de cuatro técnicas estadísticas muestran que, en la Isla de Montreal, las personas de bajos ingresos y, en un grado menor, las minorías visibles con más frecuencia se localizan en las manzanas de la ciudad cercanas a las vías principales, que exhiben las mayores concentraciones de NO₂ y menos vegetación. Por último, el índice de justicia ambiental es significativamente menor en áreas de alta concentración de poblaciones de bajos ingresos, en comparación con las áreas de los más adinerados.

Key words:

• deprivation
• environmental equity
• GIS
• nuisances
• urban resources

关键词：:

• 剥夺，环境公平，GIS，公害，城市资源。

Palabras clave:

• privación
• justicia ambiental
• SIG
• molestias
• recursos urbanos

Note

Notes

1. Data from the 2006 census were used given the lack of specific information on the numbers of these groups on the level of the dissemination area in the 2011 National Household Survey.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mathieu Carrier

MATHIEU CARRIER is a postdoctoral fellow at the Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H2X0A9, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research focuses on urban planning, environmental equity, GIS, and the nuisances related to road transportation.

Philippe Apparicio

PHILIPPE APPARICIO is a Professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research—Centre Urbanisation Culture Société, Montreal, Quebec H2X2C6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research focuses on spatial analysis, GIS, and environmental justice.

Yan Kestens

YAN KESTENS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de santé publique, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H2X0A9, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research covers the spatial dimension of our interaction with the environment and its health impacts.

Anne-Marie Séguin

ANNE-MARIE SÉGUIN is a Professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research–Centre Urbanisation Culture Société, Montreal, Quebec H2X2C6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research focuses on urban policies, poverty, segregation, and environmental justice.

Hien Pham

HIEN PHAM is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Studies, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H2X3X2, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research focuses on vegetation, parks, environmental equity, and GIS.

Dan Crouse

DAN CROUSE is a Research Associate in the Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A3, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research is at the intersection of health geography and environmental epidemiology.

Jack Siemiatycki

JACK SIEMIATYCKI is a Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de santé publique de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H2W1T8, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. His research focuses on chronic disease, epidemiology, and environmental risk.