Pursuit of environmental justice in urban forest planning and practice

Abstract

IntroductionThere is a growing demand for urban forest management that prioritizes genuine community involvement, acknowledges power imbalances within society, and embraces the principles of environmental justice. To assess current initiatives and share better/best approaches, examining how environmental justice principles are applied in urban forest planning and practice is crucial. This study aims to understand the perspectives of urban foresters on the factors that either facilitate or impede the attainment of environmental justice goals.MethodsInterviews were conducted with urban foresters from non-profit organizations and municipal government in San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington. The interviewees were asked to identify and discuss their tree planting and maintenance strategies, public engagement protocol, and inter-organizational collaboration processes. To provide a contextual understanding of environmental injustice in the study cities, the historical racist practice of neighborhood redlining was examined alongside current tree canopy cover, locations of environmental hazards, and the spatial distribution of persons of color and those living in poverty.ResultsThe findings revealed that urban forestry professionals in each city approached environmental justice in distinct yet complementary ways: San Francisco prioritized distributional justice, while Seattle focused on elements of procedural and recognitional justice. The Race and Social Justice Initiative in Seattle and Proposition E in San Francisco have been instrumental in identifying and addressing inequities in urban forest planning and practice.Discussion/conclusionCreating fair and inclusive urban forestry practices that prioritize disadvantaged neighborhoods has been a difficult task for both cities. Acknowledging and addressing past policies and cultural perspectives that have led to marginalization is crucial for building trust with these communities. Moving forward, prioritizing recognitional justice in urban forest planning and management should be a top priority.

Spatial Analysis of Risk Exposure of Urban Trees: A Case Study from Bologna (Italy)

“…This study provides evidence, combined with other precautions, that specific analyses performed on open data could help in the optimization process of the management of urban trees. Below are some inputs and suggestions on how to optimize the urban tree management: maximize the positive effects of vegetation on the urban environment through integrated and innovative management capable of combining environmental needs with economic ones [87][88][89]; promote knowledge and monitoring of the natural heritage of urban greenery through innovative mapping and representation tools [90,91]; make the management interventions of the urban greenery system systematic and homogeneous by preparing appropriate plans and programs [92,93]; carry out maintenance interventions according to the most up-to-date criteria and in compliance with scientifically based cultivation techniques aimed at reducing external inputs [94][95][96]; guarantee transparency in every action and make citizens an active part in the knowledge and care of greenery through communication, information, teaching, and active discussion actions [97,98]. Among these, the implementation of a tool using open data and providing quantitative evaluation for the assessment of trees' failure risk could provide an interesting contribution to the scientific discussion on this topic.…”