Navigating Health Equity Through Mobility Justice: Youth of Color Organizing for Transportation Equity in Our Backyards

Abstract

There is growing awareness that the built environment and transportation affect many aspects of individual and community well-being and health. Built environment and transportation planning and decision-making, however, rarely integrate robust engagement and input from youth, particularly racially/ethnically and economically diverse youth, despite the likelihood that such planning and decisions will affect their futures. Strategies are needed that prepare, engage, and ultimately empower youth in changing systems, processes, and programs that promote equitable mobility access and opportunity for youth now and in these futures. This article describes the development, implementation, actions, and impact of the Youth for Equitable Streets (YES) Fellowship program, through the perspective of the program participants, including the youth (the Fellows), program manager, and program evaluator, focusing on key factors for making this work youth-centered and oriented to successfully influence social change in transportation for mobility justice.

Climate Justice Is Environmental Justice: System Change for Promoting Planetary Health and a Just Transition From Extractive to Regenerative Action

“…In environmental systems we recommend continuing to advance health promotion in promoting foodways that improve nutrition and quality of life for communities through culturally resonant regenerative agriculture (Lombard et al, 2014;Martinez et al, 2022). For political systems, health impact assessments continue to hold promise in transforming civic planning structures (National Research Council, 2011;Seals et al, 2022;Valhora et al, 2023). Among health systems, there are global organizing efforts for us to join for advancing circular economies in hospital systems and accelerating the awareness of climate change among workers (Health Care Without Harm, n.d.).…”