Geographies of insecure water access and the housing–water nexus in US cities

Meehan, Katie; Jurjevich, Jason R.; Chun, Nicholas; Sherrill, Justin

doi:10.1073/pnas.2007361117

Cited by 124 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Systemic problems require systemic change in our economy, government, and social order. 67 Controversies exist around whether or not water should be considered a human right. In 2016, a Detroit judge, siding with the Detroit Water and Sewer Department and the city of Detroit in a suit considering water shutoffs, declared in writing that, ''there is no fundamental right to water service.''…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 and Black Lives: Case Study Detroit

Moody

Easley

Sissen

2022

Environmental Justice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present water shutoff crisis in Detroit, which has deepened with the spread of COVID-19, exists within an historical context of decades-old government-sanctioned racial residential segregation policies that continue today. This includes the decrease in black homeownership and wealth, integration, and democratically elected governance. Information collected by local grassroots organizations, Detroit newspaper reports, and academic research, specific to the metropolitan area, reveal the interrelationships among banking/housing industries, water access, and government policies. The result has been diversions of taxpayer money away from affordable housing, home loans, and public services (i.e., water). Instead, public resources are distributed to support those in powerful political and economic positions. Although water has not been formally privatized, we argue that a system of commodification exists, which taxes/fines the impoverished black population of the City of Detroit, but provides free and/or reduced water rates to the elites and largely white suburban population. The immediate actions required are reconnecting household water, providing affordable housing, redirecting taxpayer funds to the benefit of the public good, and government transparency and accountability. Collaborative networks of local environmental organizations, including mostly black participants, are leading the public opposition to these policies and directly link water shutoffs to public health. We suggest that future research efforts focus on work that increases the public awareness of the systemic linkages among water shutoffs, public health, racist social structures, housing patterns, and government policies. Continued active democratic participation of community residents must be a priority in future research and organizing activities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 and Black Lives: Case Study Detroit

Moody

Easley

Sissen

2022

Environmental Justice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Water insecure households in the US are more likely to be renting their homes, earning lower incomes, and spending higher shares of gross income on housing costs. They are also more likely to be headed by people of color (Meehan et al 2020). Though we think of water access as nearly universal in the United States, around 0.3% of the population lacks adequate access to water, which is the equivalent of the population of a US city somewhere between the size of Dallas, TX, and San Jose, CA (Meehan et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing Precarity & the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts of Utility Disconnection and Eviction Moratoria on Infections and Deaths Across US Counties

Jowers

Timmins

Bhavsar

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the adoption of a number of policies that aim to reduce the spread of the disease by promoting housing stability. Housing precarity, which includes both the risk of eviction and utility disconnections or shut-offs, reduces a person's ability to abide by social distancing orders and comply with hygiene recommendations. Our analysis quantifies the impact of these various economic policies on COVID-19 infection and death rates using panel regression techniques to control for a variety of potential confounders. We find that policies that limit evictions are found to reduce COVID-19 infections by 3.8% and reduce deaths by 11%. Moratoria on utility disconnections reduce COVID-19 infections by 4.4% and mortality rates by 7.4%. Had such policies been in place across all counties (i.e., adopted as federal policy) from early March 2020 through the end of November 2020, our estimated counterfactuals show that policies that limit evictions could have reduced COVID-19 infections by 14.2% and deaths by 40.7%. For moratoria on utility disconnections, COVID-19 infections rates could have been reduced by 8.7% and deaths by 14.8%. Housing precarity policies that prevent eviction and utility disconnections have been effective mechanisms for decreasing both COVID-19 infections and deaths.

show abstract

“…2020; Meehan, Jurjevich, et al. 2020). This indicates a strong need for more precise tracking of who (and where) water insecurity is experienced across development gradients; new approaches for monitoring the efficacy of water interventions; and more effective management of complex, mobile, and multiple water infrastructures to achieve water security (Pooi and Ng 2018; Patil et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Agenda for Household Water Security: Measurement, Monitoring, and Management

Wutich

Jepson

Stoler

et al. 2021

J American Water Resour Assoc

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water scholarship has advanced considerably in recent decades. Despite this remarkable progress, water challenges may be growing more quickly than our capacity to solve them. While much progress has been made toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 — water and sanitation for all — new stressors have emerged to threaten this progress. Far from being a problem of the Global South, recent research shows that water insecurity is very much a global phenomenon — and one that has been, until recently, seriously neglected in the Global North. This indicates a strong need for innovative measurement of who experiences water insecurity, new approaches for monitoring the efficacy of water interventions, and more effective management of complex, mobile, and multiple water infrastructures to achieve water security. In this paper, we introduce the Household Water Insecurity approach to addressing these concerns. First, we suggest ways to improve the measurement of water insecurity — pinpointing problems at the household and individual levels — in ways that can inform policymaking with improved precision. Second, we discuss ways that new information and communication technology can improve monitoring and indicate where water infrastructure repairs and investments are most needed. Third, we highlight the need for new approaches to managing complex water infrastructures in more inclusive and democratic ways.

show abstract

Geographies of insecure water access and the housing–water nexus in US cities

Cited by 124 publications

References 48 publications

Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 and Black Lives: Case Study Detroit

Water Shutoffs During COVID-19 and Black Lives: Case Study Detroit

Housing Precarity & the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts of Utility Disconnection and Eviction Moratoria on Infections and Deaths Across US Counties

A Global Agenda for Household Water Security: Measurement, Monitoring, and Management

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About