The uneven distribution of environmental burdens and benefits in Silicon Valley's backyard

Abstract

Inequalities in the exposure to environmental burdens and access to environmental benefits are an environmental justice concern for urban and regional environmental planning. Recent studies have assessed the exposure of different populations to a combination of environmental hazards through GIS-based Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessments (CEIA). The contribution of this study is the development of a CEIA, which incorporates the distance-based impact of transportation, the cumulative impact of environmental hazards, and access to environmental benefits for Santa Clara County (SCC), a highly diverse and rapidly developing region also known as ‘Silicon Valley’. Our results show that social vulnerability, cumulative environmental hazards, and environmental benefits exhibit distinct spatial patterns in SCC. High environmental hazard values are found along freeway and railroad corridors with substantial industrial legacies, while environmental benefit scores are generally higher in the suburban periphery. Correlations indicate that socially vulnerable populations in SCC are predominantly hispanic and are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards, while white and wealthier populations are more likely to have access to environmental benefits. The results from this study may serve to develop community-based initiatives for neighborhood improvement and environmental-justice-based regional planning and public health policy reform.