Environmental justice is exhausting: five decades of air pollution and community advocacy at Ezra Prentice Homes in Albany, New York

Abstract

ABSTRACT This narrative case study used semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research to document the ongoing environmental injustices faced by the predominately Black residents of Ezra Prentice Homes, a public housing complex adjacent to the Port of Albany in the South End of Albany, New York. We highlighted the context of the relocation of minorities to this public housing complex for the construction of the Empire State Plaza, and impacts to residents from polluting port industrial activities and heavy-duty diesel trucks. Using a social justice Theory of Change framework, we evaluated the diversity of outcomes and relevance of an innovative suite of advocacy tools employed by policy activists and discussed the factors constraining the resolution of continued environmental injustices. We observed a complex legacy of environmental racism, power struggles, and an ongoing mindset of expendability of marginalised public housing residents targeting this community for hosting locally unwanted land uses and delayed long-term solutions. While policy activists employed a diversity of advocacy tools instrumental in winning lawsuits, expanding their base of support, attracting media, and bringing widespread state and national visibility to the struggles and necessary solutions for protecting residents, this “middle coalition” facilitated successful yet temporary policy outcomes in terms of long-term protections for residents. This research fills an important gap in the environmental justice literature that explores the phenomenon of public housing complexes inappropriately sited adjacent to polluting port facilities. Future research is needed to better understand community risk perceptions related to public housing and long-term public policy responses.