Considering
Environmental
Justice in Building
a Greenway:
A Case Study
Office of Research and Development
Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment
Xs/EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
EPA/600/R-21/161 | December 2021 | www.epa.gov/research
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&EPA
EPA/600/R-21/161 I December 2021 I www.epa.gov/research
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Considering Environmental
Justice in Building a Greenway:
A Case Study
Daniel, J., J. Hartley, M. Jenkins,
S. Lobatos, and T. Lung. 2021.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Center for Public Health and Environmental
Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Additional EnviroAtlas lesson plans are available that address a variety of topics for all grade-levels kindergarten through
undergraduate. All educational materials can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-educational-materials
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Disclaimer
This case study makes students the decision-makers in a hypothetical planning scenario using real-world data from the Tampa
area within Hillsborough County, Florida. It should be noted that although Tampa is a real city and the data in this case study are
accurate, this greenway planning activity is hypothetical. This case study is intended to represent situations that could occur and
the challenges and opportunities that may accompany said circumstances. This document lias been reviewed in accordance with
U.S. Enviromnental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication.
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Table of Contents
Disclaimer ii
Acknowledgements iii
Introduction iv
Lesson Plan Components iv
Overview and Synopsis 1.1
Introduction: Data and Tools for Decision-making 1.1
Ecosystem Services & EnviroAtlas 1.1
Considering Environmental Justice in Building a Greenway: A Case Study 1.1
Environmental Justice & EJSCREEN 1.2
Greenway Case Study 1.2
Greenway Benefits 1.2
Environmental Justice 1.3
Background of the Greenway Area and Surrounding County 1.5
The Proposal - Greenway Pilot Section 1.8
Student Task 1.8
Understanding Maps Worksheet 2.1
Student Map Set 3.1
EJSCREEN Maps 3.5
Stakeholder Roles & Perspectives 4.1
Glossary of Terms 5.1
Additional Reading Resources 6.1
Appendix A - Data Quality 7.1
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List of Tables
Table 1: Comparison of metrics between the case study area in Tampa, FL versus Hillsborough County, FL. All data are
from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey data from EJSCREEN. Highlighted rows indicate metrics where the case
study area has a higher statistic compared to the county 1.5
List of Images and Figures
Image 1: Greenway in Atlanta, GA. Photo credit: Riley Perszyk 1.3
Image 2: PCB landfill protest in Warren County NC, 1982. Photo credit: Jerome Friar/UNC Libraries 1.4
Image 3: The proposed trail network area with numbered trail heads. The pilot route proposed by the BOCC
runs from trail head 1 to 4 1.8
Figure 1. Proposed trail network area with numbered trail heads 3.1
Figure 2. Percent population under 18 years old, overlaid over percent green space 3.1
Figure 3. Estimated walking distance to a park entrance 3.2
Figure 4. Natural land cover connectivity 3.2
Figure 5. Land cover classification 3.3
Figure 6. Street intersection density 3.3
Figure 7. Dasymetric allocation of population 3.4
Figure 8. People who speak English 'less than well' 3.4
Figure 9. Low income population 3.5
Figure 10. People of color population 3.5
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Acknowledgements
This case study is an adaptation of the lesson plan Building
a Greenwav: A Case Study and was developed through
the joint efforts of multiple contributors. Primary authors
of this adapted version from US EPA's Office of Research
and Development (ORD) are Jessica Daniel, Jenna Hartley
(ORISE Participant), and Molly Jenkins (ORISE Participant)
and from US EPA's Office of Enviromnental Justice (OEJ),
Tai Lung and Stacey Lobatos. Pamela Barclay and Kathleen
Bush, former EPA research participants, contributed to the
original published case study. The authors would like to
recognize the valuable support contributions made by Daniel
Rosenbaum and Madeline Grupper (ORISE Participants, US
EPA ORD). This lesson plan may not have taken place were it
not for the impetus from Alexis Dickerson, Chesapeake Bay
Foundation; her input, enthusiasm, and pilot-testing efforts
were essential.
US EPA experts Matthew Tejada and Onyemaechi Nweke
from the US EPA Office of Enviromnental Justice reviewed
these materials. Their expertise and feedback were extremely
valuable in the completion of this product.
Several classroom teachers, informal educators, and student
participants helped review and pilot test this lesson plan.
This on-the-ground testing was essential to helping ensure its
success as an educational tool.
• Alexis Dickerson and Kris Belessis - Chesapeake Bay
Foundation Annapolis, MD
• Naamal De Silva - The George Washington University,
Washington, DC
• Emily Ericson - Riverside High School, Durham, NC
• Aaron Bland - Delaware State University, Dover, DE
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Introduction
This lesson plan is a part of a larger curriculum of activities
for educational use to introduce students to EnviroAtlas
(www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) and concepts such as watersheds,
pollution, connections between the environment and human
health, greenways, and using maps in decision-making. This
lesson plan also introduces students to EJSCREEN
(www.epa.gov/EJSCREEN) and addresses decision-making,
policy, mapping, and enviromnental justice.
Lesson Plan Components
This lesson plan has multiple components, either included in
this document or available from EnviroAtlas.
Items included in this document:
• Student Background Reading
• Understanding Maps Worksheet
• Student Map Set
• Student Stakeholder Roles
Documents available from the EnviroAtlas webpage
https ://www.epa. gov/enviroatlas/building-greenwav-case-
studv:
• Teacher Instructions and Link List (a.k.a. "hyperdoc")
• Student Instruction Sheet
• Educator Introductory Slides
• Guidance for Using the EnviroAtlas Interactive Map for
this Lesson
• Additional Activities and Adaptations
• Associated Science Standards
For questions regarding this case study and supplemental
materials, please contact the EnviroAtlas Team at
Enviro Atlas@epa. gov.
• Glossary
• Additional Reading Resources
iv
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Glossary of Terms 5.1
Glossary of Terms
Active Transportation: Any form of human-powered
transportation - such as walking, cycling, using a wheelchair,
in-line skating or skateboarding.
Alternative Transportation: Alternative Transportation
promotes and encourages the use of alternative modes
of transportation (e.g., bicycling, walking, vanpooling,
carpooling, riding transit) to get to, from, and around
destinations instead of a single occupancy vehicle.
Biodiversity: The variability among living organisms (plants,
animals, genetics, habitats) from terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which
they are part.
Board of County Commissioners (BOCC): Also known
as a county commission, a BOCC is a group of elected
officials collectively charged with administering the county
government in some U.S. states.
Buffering: Occurs when streamside vegetation filters
stonnwater and protects stream banks.
Case Study: An in-depth examination of a situation. It is a
method used to focus a very broad field of research on one
easily researchable topic.
Community Cohesion: Community cohesion (also called
social capital and neighboring) refers to the quantity and
quality of interactions among people in a community, as
indicated by the degree residents know and care about their
neighbors and participate in community activities (Cochrun
1994; LGA 2004; CASE).
Conservation: preservation, protection or restoration of
the natural enviromnent, natural ecosystems, vegetation,
and wildlife. Conservation activities include examination,
documentation, treatment, and preventive care, supported by
research and education.
Connectivity: Connectivity represents the pattern of core
areas of potential habitat or cover that allow the movement
of organisms across an intact or fragmented landscape.
Landscapes with high connectivity allow species to move
freely among core areas, while landscapes with low
connectivity tend to isolate species within scattered patches
of habitat.
Demographic: a term describing the structure or statistical
characteristics of human populations or a sector of a
population.
Disproportionate Impact: a term used by the enviromnental
justice movement to describe situations of concern where
there exists significantly higher and more adverse health and
enviromnental effects on minority populations, low-income
populations or Indigenous peoples.
Ecosystem Services: Outputs of natural ecological functions
or processes that directly or indirectly contribute to human
welfare or have the potential to do so in the future (Boyd and
Banzhaf, 2007).
Environmental Justice (EJ): EPA defines enviromnental
justice (EJ) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement
of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income, with respect to the development, implementation,
and enforcement of enviromnental laws, regulations, and
policies.
Equitable development: an approach for meeting the needs
of underserved communities through policies and programs
that reduce disparities while fostering places that are healthy
and vibrant.
Executive Order 12898: an Executive Order ("Federal
Actions to Address Enviromnental Justice in Minority
Populations and Low-Income Populations") issued by
President Clinton in 1994 which directed the federal
government to make enviromnental justice a part of the
federal decision-making process.
Fair treatment: an environmental justice (EJ) term that
means no group of people should bear a disproportionate
share of the negative enviromnental consequences resulting
from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or
policies.
Greenspaces: EnviroAtlas defines green space as all
vegetated land, including agriculture, lawns, forests,
wetlands, and gardens. Barren land, water, and impervious
surfaces such as concrete and asphalt are excluded.
Greenway: A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land,
where vegetation is encouraged, and is managed for public
recreation and active transportation.
Habitat: The home or environment of a plant, animal, or
other organism.
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&EPA
Glossary of Terms 5.2
Health Outcomes: A health outcome is a change in health,
or lack of, following some factor or treatment. In the study
of ecosystem services, this typically refers to environment-
related changes in human health.
Impervious: Impervious surfaces are that which do not allow
fluid (water) to pass through them; examples include concrete
and asphalt.
Meaningful involvement: an environmental justice (EJ) term
that means:
• People have an opportunity to participate in decisions about
activities that may affect their enviromnent and/or health;
• The public's contribution can influence the regulatory
agency's decision;
• Community concerns will be considered in the decision-
making process; and
• Decision makers will seek out and facilitate the
involvement of those potentially affected.
Mitigation: A human intervention to reduce negative impacts
on the climate system; examples include strategies to reduce
greenhouse gas sources and emissions restoring coastal
wetlands to dampen storm surge.
Neighborhood Connectivity: Neighborhood connectivity
refers to the relative ease and directness of getting from one
place to another (e.g. from home to school) by road, path,
or trail. One way to measure urban connectivity is with the
density of street intersections.
Patch (habitat): Refers to an area of distinct habitat type that
has a definite shape and is used by species for breeding or
survival. The size of a given patch is typically an important
consideration when determining habitat quality.
Preservation: The protection of cultural property and
natural lands through activities that minimize chemical and
physical deterioration and damage and that prevent loss of
informational content. The primary goal of preservation is to
prolong existence.
Public Hearing: A meeting for receiving testimony from
the public at-large on a local issue, or proposed government
action. Testimony from both sides of an issue is usually
recorded for public record and a report summarizing the key
points is generated. All levels of government hold public
hearings - from city on up to the national level. Hearings may
also be less formal - they may or may not be sponsored by a
government body - and may not require that individuals from
multiple sides of an issue get time to speak.
Redlining: The Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC)
assigned grades to geographic areas based on their perceived
security and associated investment risk; these grades were
predominantly informed by the racial, ethnic and income
makeup of the associated area. Areas that were graded red
were labeled 'hazardous', effectively denying residents access
to home loans, business loans, and other forms of capital
investment. The practice of redlining was most common in
the 1930's but was not formally abandoned until the 1960's;
the legacy of redlining still impacts communities to date.
Resolution (map-making term): The detail with which a map
depicts the location and shape of geographic features. High
resolution images may appear sharp, while lower resolution
images appear more blurry or blocky.
Restoration: Return of an ecosystem to a close
approximation of its presumed condition prior to disturbance.
Siting: Determining where to position or locate a structure.
Social Capital: The sum of social interactions with other
humans and connections within a social network; the idea that
social networks have value.
Stakeholder: One who is involved in or affected by a course
of action; a person with an interest or concern in something
particular.
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Additional Reading Resources 6.1
Additional Reading Resources
Campbell, H.S. Jr. & Munroe, D.K. 2007. Greenways and
greenbacks: The impact of the Catawba Regional Trail on
property values in Charlotte, North Carolina. Southeastern
Geographer. 47( 1): 118-137. DOI: 10.1353/sgo.2007.0002.
Coutts, C. 2010. Green Infrastructure and Public Health in the
Florida Communities Trust Public Land Acquisition
Program. Planning, Practice & Research. 25(4):439-459.
Dallat, M. A. T., Soerjomataram, I., Hunter, R. F., Tully, M. A.,
Cairns, K. J., & Kee, F. 2013. Urban greenways have
the potential to increase physical activity levels cost-
effectively. The European Journal of Public Health. DOI:
10.1093/eurpub/ckt035
Flink, C. A. 1993. The great American greenway movement.
Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue Canadienne
des ressources hydriques. 18(4):485-492. DOI: 10.4296/
cwij 1804485
Harnik, P. & Welle, B. 2009. Measuring the economic value of a city
park system. The Trust for Public Land.
Mason, J., Moorman, C., Hess, G., & Sinclair, K. 2007. Designing
suburban greenways to provide habitat for forest-breeding
birds. Landscape and Urban Planning, 80(1-2): 153-164.
DOI: 10.1016/j. landurbplan.2006.07.002
Jackson, L.E., Daniel, J., McCorkle, B., Sears, A., & Bush, K. F.
2013. Linking ecosystem services and human health: the
Eco-Health Relationship Browser. Int J Public Health.
58(5):747-55. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-013-0482-l.
Lindsey, G., Man, J., Payton, S. and Dickson, K. 2004. Property
values, recreation values, and urban greenways. Journal of
Park and Recreation Administration. 22(3):69-90.
Mohai, P., Pellow, D., & Roberts, J. T. 2009. Environmental Justice.
Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 34(1):405-
430. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-082508-094348
Nelson, R. K. Winling, L., Marciano, R. Connolly, N. et al. 2021.
Mapping Inequality. American Panorama. https://dsl.
richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#text=intro
Nicholls, S. and Crompton, J.L. 2005. The impact of greenways on
property values: Evidence from Austin, Texas. Journal of
Leisure Research. 37(3):321-341.
Sandt, L., Pullen-Seufert, N, LaJeimesse, S., & Gelinne, D. 2012.
Leveraging the health benefits of active transportation:
Creating an actionable agenda for transportation
professionals. TRNews. 280:18.
Seams, R. M. 1995. The evolution of greenways as an adaptive
urban landscape form. Landscape and Urban Planning.
33(1—3):65-80. ISSN 0169-2046. DOI: 10.1016/0169-
2046(94)02014-7.
Willow, S. L., Dawkins, C. 2020. The power of participatory
story mapping: Advancing equitable development in
disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Community Development
Journal. 55(3):473—495. DOI: 10.1093/cdj/bsy064
Lee, C. & A. V. Moudon. 2004. Physical Activity and Environment
Research in the Health Field: Implications for Urban and
Transportation Planning Practice and Research. Journal of
Planning Literature 19(2): 147-181.
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^^^^^^Vppendix
All data cited in this report were sourced from either
EnviroAtlas or EJSCREEN, two EPA tools. All data provided
in these two tools has been subjected to a rigorous quality
assurance review including multiple levels of data review.
Data sources and dates of the data are presented alongside
datasets; any data anomalies are noted in the report when data
are presented. Each of the tools contains resources to help
users understand the quality of the data and their limitations.
For example, EnviroAtlas includes Fact Sheets for every
data set (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-
sheels) with each fact sheet containing a section about the
limitations of the data. EJSCREEN includes a section on their
website about the limitations of the data (https://www.epa.
gov/ei screen/limitations-and-caveats-using-ei screen). Users
are encouraged to understand the limitations of the data. All
data from both tools includes metadata which describes the
processes used to develop the data; metadata is an important
element of data quality for geospatial data.
This educational lesson report was created by EnviroAtlas
and EJSCREEN team members with extensive geospatial
knowledge and reviewed by EPA enviromnental justice
experts. The lesson was piloted by EPA staff with multiple
educators and was also tested and reviewed individually
by three classroom educators. Based on reviewer feedback,
adjustments were made to the report before final release. This
report has also been reviewed and approved by a Quality
Assurance Manager.
Appendix A - Data Quality 7.1
Quality
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