A GIS-Based Decision-Making Methodology for Evaluation of Environmental Justice Impacts of Community Infrastructure Projects

Advances in geospatial analysis technology have resulted in new data-gathering techniques for environmental justice (EJ) assessments. Frequently investigated metrics relate to race and income due to relatively easy availability of census data. Geographic information systems (GIS) offer the ability to embed these data in maps in order to better recognize patterns that may designate discriminatory practices. Many other indicators of disproportionate negative effects exist and can be assessed using GIS. Map-based analysis results can also provide data on proximity for various phenomena. However, expert human analysis is required to interpret images which may lead to arbitrary or subjective conclusions. Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a GIS methodology to overcome the limitations of image-based analyses for evaluating spatial relationships in community infrastructure by employing metrics such as travel time and distance to jobs, education, healthcare, and food markets in order to move beyond identification of those affected to quantification of the impacts on their lives. That is, to quantify the answers to the questions: How does daily life change as a result of infrastructure improvements? How do the impacts on these parameters compare to the impacts of alternative projects? Manifestations of these impacts have been transformed into quantifiable data that will offer planners greater decision-making confidence. Mathematical representations in the form of indices have been developed to offer a consistent approach to infrastructure problems as they relate to EJ.