Reflecting on the pollution issue in the heart of corporate districts where there is total neglect of the people living in the surrounding neighborhoods, one understands and appreciates the built environment’s impact on the quality of life. Exposure to pollution affects people’s lives health-wise, impacting the average lifespan. The built environment also determines an individual’s quality of life by “accessing amenities such as housing, schools, hospital, roads and fresh groceries” (Martinez). It is an established fact that the populations living in areas where the environment exposes them to low-quality lives and shorter lifespans are the minorities subjected to residential zoning by a racist system. Therefore, from this reflection, one can establish that the negative influence of the built environment in America is not just an environmental issue but is also a social issue deeply embedded in systemic racism.
The artwork vividly depicts how systemic racism in America plays a significant role in environmental neglect and how this lack of care impacts the lives of minority groups in terms of health and the longevity of life. Communities living in these areas have “heath vulnerabilities, for instance being at higher risk for contracting diseases” such as COVID (Martinez). It illustrates injustices and neglects by the government and the lack of people-focused development initiatives, where corporate power is celebrated at the expense of the people’s need for justice. The presentation demonstrates how the compounded social and environmental injustices impact the lives of people of color in America. The situation in West Fresno and Flynt Michigan exposes the policy of neglect that the government uses towards the people of color.
Work Cited
Martinez, Nayamin. “Tale of Two Cities: Environmental Injustice in Fresno – Community Alliance.” Community Alliance, 2022.