Housing, Energy, and Environmental Justice in NYC With RCSS’ the Tricentennial Project

On October 21, Diana Hernandez, an assistant professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, spoke to students and members of the public about the built environment and its intersections with poverty, equity, health, and energy security. The talk was hosted by Columbia University’s Tricentennial Project — a student group under the Research Cluster on Science and Subjectivity and Columbia Center for Science and Society seeking to reshape the current approach to the climate crisis into one that is more interdisciplinary, intersectional and intergenerational — and in collaboration with the Earth Institute.

During the discussion, Hernandez emphasized the importance of a diverse range of considerations, particularly related to energy, in issues of housing and the environment.

Hernandez explained that the environments we inhabit inform and shape how we perceive our status and significance in society. While interacting with and enjoying green spaces serves as an affirmative boost, a lack of investment in environments, as is often the case for communities of color and low-income communities, sends certain signals about the communities’ importance in society. Thus, being able to analyze different components of a space and how they might influence certain perceptions is a deeply important tool for those seeking to make meaningful change.

Ellie Hansen CC’22 asked Hernandez, born and raised in the Bronx, about her own experience growing up in an area that was receiving and is still receiving less attention and investment. “Were there any things that affected you while growing up in an underprivileged area that maybe you didn’t realize?” Hernandez responded that much of the “chaos” in New York City in the 1980s was just normalized for her. It wasn’t until she began her PhD at Cornell University that she felt “exposed to other ways of being.” Surrounded by old, stately buildings and an institution that had an air of importance and significance, Hernandez initially felt out of place and struggled with that sense of separation. It wasn’t until she gained that exposure that she was able to make sense of some of the gaps and differences in experiences. She remarked that those in poverty often lack that kind of exposure, the opportunity to “make sense of and be more critical of these things.” Hernandez’s experience affirms the connections between subjective human experience and physical space, discussed above. One’s surroundings affect one’s perception and ability to discern potential inequalities. 

Hernandez provided an example of a woman in Detroit, who was forced to move out of her home, even though it was already paid for, because she couldn’t afford to heat it. Obsolete energy systems and design flaws in the building combined with the family’s financial situation made the space uninhabitable, as winters were far too cold. The example demonstrates that the concept of affordability or affordable housing cannot be solely confined to rent or mortgage; it relates to questions of energy and climate as well. To view the situation from a purely economic standpoint misses several important considerations for what makes a space livable.

Hernandez also spoke of New York City’s coronavirus heat wave plan. As temperatures continue to rise, signaled by the record heat this past summer, communities and households without access to air conditioning suffer the most and are the most susceptible to heat stroke. The situation became particularly concerning as the city issued stay at home and social distancing orders; people could not leave to find cooler areas. So, the city began an initiative to install AC units in low-income and senior households, those most vulnerable to the heat’s effects. While this initiative signals an important step forward in recognizing the disparities in access and resulting harm, Hernandez pushed us to consider how successful or unsuccessful the city would be in also mitigating the subsequent costs associated with running the AC, yet another significant burden on the relevant communities, and one that still prevents the issue of equal access from being fully resolved. Solutions must include members from all relevant communities, so that all necessary considerations can occur.

Emma Urofsky, one of the co-moderators and a GS student, reflected that in many of her classes at Columbia, she feels she is taught to look outward, examining examples of environmental injustice in other countries. “Clearly, there is so much environmental injustice here [in the US]. It’s rampant! And yet, so often we are taught to look outwards as if we don’t have these problems here.” 

Hernandez highlighted for us the importance of knowing how different structures and factors all relate to and rely on each other when thinking about housing, the environment and energy. Without taking into account the necessary connections and viewpoints, changes to address the current and fast-approaching crises will be significantly limited. So, as students, we heed Hernandez’s encouragement to reflect on the work that we do and importantly, the status quo of the institutions we are a part of. What exactly is it that we are rewarded for? What does our educational institution emphasize? More importantly, what does our education ignore? The Tricentennial Project, and the RCSS more largely, seeks to explore these intersections between science and our society. As we hope to be the driving force of the necessary change, we will continue to search for and highlight the important intersections to ensure that relevant voices are no longer neglected. 

This post is adapted from a piece from the Columbia Earth Institute’s State of the Planet blog.