“Let’s Talk About the Real Issue”: Localized Perceptions of Environment and Implications for Ecosocial Work Practice

How do residents of challenged communities in North St. Louis understand climate change’s effects on their well-being? In the high-poverty, racially segregated communities on the north side of the city of St. Louis and in north St. Louis County, documented health and socioeconomic disparities shape numerous outcomes. This study examines the ways in which race shapes the built environment, the quality of the air and water, and other environmental conditions, as well as community perceptions of environmental justice. Finding that violence and racism frame residents’ perceptions of environmental issues, the authors suggest pathways for educating and mobilizing communities.

Project: Environment & Social Development