Community Well-Being and Access to Public Space: An Environmental Justice Perspective

Session: Environmental Justice, Environmental Work, and Resilience
Type: Mixed Paper Session

Abstract

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore theoretical linkages between community well-being and access to public spaces. This purpose is organized around 3 aims. Foremostly, access to public spaces, is situated in environmental justice research drawing on existing literature and Lefebvre’s (1977) Tripartite Framework. Secondly, access is conceptualized through the nexus between the Lefebvre Tripartite framework and Bishop’s (2005) Network Theory of Wellbeing. Through this nexus, access is conceptualized as emerging from engagements among key dimensions of public space (i.e., physical, social, and technical), which either translate into positive or negative states of communal well-being, associated with environmental justice constructs. Lastly, the applicability of this conceptual framework is demonstrated through a discussion of specific examples in Maryvale, a low-income community in Phoenix, Arizona with a history of environmental justice struggles.  

Authors