How are Communities in Chicago’s South and West Sides Affected by Environmental Racism?
Introduction
Author: Luna Valderrama
Department: UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE)
Advisor: Dr. Joseph K. Hoereth (IPCE)
Abstract: Environmental racism is the intentional siting of pollution and/or waste facilities in communities populated primarily by people of color, low-income workers, and migrant workers. Given Chicago’s history of systemic racism and gentrification through segregation, these areas, which house Black and Latino residents, have been used as “Sacrifice Zones” in Chicago. There are currently 5 Sacrifice Zones in the city, all with various cases showcasing the consequences of environmental racism. The methods used for this research report are a Literature Review with Field Research from the years 2020-2025 of scholarly and news articles, and a Qualitative Case Study using Map Data, Personal Counts from Interviews, and other methods of data evaluation. The scope of this research is to examine the real-life effects of environmental racism on these communities by viewing mapped areas that showcase disproportionate amounts of pollution, asthma rates, and other forms of tangible evidence. Solutions for this issue can look like public health equity, with implementation of free air filtration systems in homes of neighborhoods affected by environmental racism, as well as policies aimed at the city that would mitigate the amount of pollution that is permissible per square mile in Chicago.
Keywords: Latino Neighborhood, Environmental Racism, Pollution, Gentrification, Sacrifice Zones, Chicago Green Spaces