Abstract:
Historically, environmental reforms have always been an important part of promoting social equity in urban spaces; in this paper, I will explore different examples of how cities in the United States have produced reforms and the decision-making process behind them. Particularly, I will look at the power relations between communities and the political regimes that dictate the flow of infrastructural reforms that improve the urban environment. Further, I will address the questions and issues that these phenomena raise: for example, what is it about sustainable development as a kind of reform that induces gentrification in certain urban settings?; what must community organizations do to create holistic environmental reforms without disenfranchising longtime residents?; and why is Jane Addams such a boss? By looking at different examples of environmental reform movements throughout U.S. history and the impacts of each, I hope to answer this question as well as others.
socgw.eresearchpaper research paper here!