A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Environmental Injustice in Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas

Abstract

Decades of research have revealed that environmental justice communities experience higher amounts of pollutants and the subsequent public health impacts when compared with majority communities throughout the United States. This reality is underscored within regions that also experience the confluence of anthropogenic and natural hazards, such as neighborhoods located in Houston, TX. Despite substantial knowledge of the poorer health conditions, there still exist many barriers when attempting positive environmental and public health change or interventions within these communities. This paper discusses an ongoing collaborative effort within Fifth Ward, a location that garnered national attention in 2019 due to a discovery of a cancer cluster. To address these, and other, existing inequitable conditions, a participatory research and place-based project was developed with on-the-ground organizations such as the Coalition of Community Organizations, and academic institutions. Four approaches and best practices are discussed: (1) community advocacy, (2) citizen science efforts and academic partnerships, (3) research in action approaches, and (4) information sharing policies. This transdisciplinary approach to public health and resilience seeks to establish a better-informed public, understanding of environmental conditions, and co-learning alongside a diverse team of interest groups, residents, and stakeholders.