The Scalar Production of Injustice within the Urban Forest

Abstract

Research has recently argued, quite successfully, for a more dialectic appreciation of urban nature/society relations. Despite this progress, there is still the need to recognize that the social production of urban environments explicitly leads to uneven urban environments and environmental injustice. Environmental inequalities clearly exist within cities; when taking into account how environmental externalities play out at different scales, the degree to which something is unjust becomes less clear. This paper discusses how the scales at which socially produced urban forest externalities play out pose difficulties for considering environmental injustice. This issue, while interesting from the point of view of considering scalar nature/social dialects, also makes policy considerations for urban reforestation problematic as a result of the ways in which urban forests contribute to local/global ecological scenarios.

Environmental Justice and Regional Political Ecology converge in the other California

“…However, this process is not strictly a linear 'down-scaling.' Rather, as we shall see, it invites a fluid and often contested reconfiguration of the relationships between multiple scales of governance (Bulkeley 2005, Heynen 2003 and to some extent it has produced hybrid forms and scales of governance that link local, regional, and state institutions in new ways (Cohen and McCarthy 2015).…”

Scalar Politics and Local Sustainability: Rethinking Governance and Justice in an Era of Political and Environmental Change

“…Keil and Debbané (2005) show that there is constant negotiation and contestation about the appropriate scale for the governance of resources and the importance of interrogating scales of governance. There has been some subsequent uptake of the call by urban political ecologists to look at particular manifestations of scale and their impact on justice (cf Bulkeley, 2005;Buzzelli, 2008;Heynen, 2003). Despite the merits of such work, as Bickerstaff et al (2009, page 593) suggest, "the issue of scale in the production and identification of (in)justice is far from comprehensively addressed in environmental justice research."…”

“…We use the example of urban trees as a point of departure as there has been some consideration of the relationship between scale, justice, and ecology on this topic (Brownlow, 2006;Heynen, 2003;Kitchen, in press;Perkins et al, 2004;Whitehead, 2009). However, while these authors to varying degrees of explicitness pose the question of scalar ecological justice for their readers, there remains limited guidance on how to respond pragmatically to the challenges of justice at different scales.…”

“…The continuous reorganisation of spatial scales is an integral part of social strategies to combat and defend control over limited resources and/or a struggle for empowerment" (Swyngedouw and Heynen, 2003, page 912). One of the most insightful provocations which seeks to relate the politics of scale, ecology, and justice is Heynen's (2003) work on trees. Heynen demonstrates the dominance of trees in wealthy, elite areas, and notes that, because trees are generally seen as an environmental amenity, (5) planting trees in low-income areas redresses local environmental injustices.…”

Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution and Environmental Injustice as Critical Issues for Science and Environmental Education

“…air, ground, and water (Stephens, 2007). Others emphasise the relation of environmental quality with quality of life and particularly with human health (Donohoe, 2003;Heynen, 2003;Mitchell & Dorling, 2003). In this chapter we aim at elaborating on the idea of environmental justice as central in organising and implementing relevant educational interventions in the context of science and environmental education at school, as a means to cope with environmental and social injustice and promote sustainability.…”