The case study that I selected is The Navajo-Hopi Struggle to Protect the Big Mountain Reservation. This case study was written by a student from the University of Michigan. The link to this case study is http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/parker.html. The goal of this development is to stop the Peabody Mining company from expanding its operations, which would threaten the reservation environment and force 300 families to relocate. This case relates to ideas discussed in the module because it is an issue of environmental justice. The Navajo and Hopi are poor and also a minority and according to the text, these populations are more likely to live within close proximity to facilities that have negative health effects. In the case study, if the Peabody Mining Company expands the Navajo and Hopi will see a decline in water quality as well as a depletion in their water supply, devastation of land, and desecration of their sacred lands.
The second case study I chose is the East-West Expressway Environmental Impact Study. This case study was provided by the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty in the U.S. Department of Transportation. The link to this case study is http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/environmental_justice/case_studies/case3.cfm. This case is about an expressway being planned near the business district of Durham, North Carolina that would go through an African American neighborhood. The neighborhood is called Crest Street. The goal in this case study is to oppose the building of the expressway so that the neighborhood wasn’t forced to relocate. This study relates to ideas discussed in the module because this is also an issue of environmental justice. The expressway is being built through the neighborhood of a minority, and although the population is not affected in ways like health effects, they still had to relocate.
In my hometown of Waynesboro, PA there is a lot of construction and growth happening and in the past couple years a Walmart and Lowes have been built on what used to be farmland. Ever since the building of these two stores there has been a horrible increase in the amount of trash outside. When you drive by Walmart there is a hill just plastered with plastic bags and other litter and it’s ridiculous. It is an awful sight. Although nobody human had to relocate, it still has affected the land like in these case studies. By looking at these case studies we can think of how relocating can effect minorities and how the land is effected. Sometimes growth is not a good thing and I have seen that in my hometown.
Hello Ashlee..It is always an uneventful thing when the federal government approves expansion of mining or whatever the issue is in the name or profit and sometimes progress. It is not right nor acceptable especially in such circumstances where it is rural and should be protected lands. Expansion of Americas ‘corporatocracy” is shameful it isn’t really the true needed development America needs. Banks, Wall St and fraudulent military spending have bankrupted America. As time goes on I do believe that some of the population in America are finally beginning to see a need to created much more balance.
Link to my posting: https://wp.me/p3RCAy-bAK
*THANK YOU
Hello Ashlee, this is Wenjie. I am interested in public transportation so my case studies are based on public transportation. They talked about different approaches in reducing traffic congestion in London and Bogota, Columbia. Your first article on mining caught my interests. Mining operations poses a sever threat to both environment and humans. Safely handling the operation is crucially important.
Maybe you would like to check out my post on transportation development.
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/m5la_wzz5097/
Hi Ashlee, I am Chloe! I found your post interesting because in my hometown there are some similar problems with trash outside. I am from outside of Philadelphia and there are many places around the area that are filled with trash everywhere. It definitely is becoming even more of a problem these days because people are always littering. I definitely think relocating has an effect on the land which affects our environment.