Inequity and Environmental Management Resources: An Analysis of RiverSmart DC
By Torre Ippolito, Neval Mulaomerovic, Ryan Oberlag, and Raphael Piliero | UNA-NCA Advocacy Fellows
Read the report here.
The RiverSmart Homes project is an initiative started by the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment (DDOEE) to mitigate the negative effects of stormwater runoff and bolster infrastructure resilience in partnership with residential homeowners. This study, led by Advocacy Fellows working with the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA), sought to explore the potential relationship between income, race, and environmental management programs in order to contextualize the link between resource scarcity and environmental health. The study was inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. Through SDG 11, the UN has tasked member states to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Through the RiverSmart Homes program, the DC area can work its way towards achieving SDG 11. Our study seeks to determine if RiverSmart Homes satisfies the inclusivity of SDG 11.
This research looked at per capita income, RiverSmart Home density, racial/ethnic demographics, and housing tenure type in order to identify a potential correlation, or relationship, between factors. Through the operationalization of ArcGIS mapping and linear regression, this study confirms a relationship between race and home ownership, broadening our collective understanding of DC’s unique history of urban development, gentrification, and contemporary zoning regulations. While RiverSmart is not the only environmental management program within DC, it is one of the most pervasive — as such, program distribution on the basis of variables like zoning regulations as opposed to flood risk pose considerable concern for District residents.
From the analysis, we can conclude that the distribution of RiverSmart Homes programs is not necessarily related to flood risk, but rather is inextricably linked to zoning laws. Race serves as a considerable factor as well, given that historically, DC zoning laws were created and continued through mechanisms of redlining, racial violence, and predatory mortgage lending, which ultimately undermines the ability of urban environmental management and sustainability programs to be justly and equitably distributed. Pursuance of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11, will require cities and urban areas to reconcile with historical zoning discrepancies as neglect will only reinforce inequality.
Read the report here.
