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Infrastructure systems have direct implications for how health and well-being evolve across urban–rural systems. Scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers use domain-specific methods and tools to characterize sectors of infrastructure, but these approaches do not capture the cascading effects across interrelated infrastructure and governance domains. We argue that the development and management of sustainable urban infrastructure must focus on interactions across urban and rural places to advance equitable health and well-being. We call for a research agenda that focuses on urban–rural infrastructure systems, addressing trade-offs and synergies, decision-making, institutional arrangements, and effective co-production of knowledge across the diverse places connected by infrastructure.
Hamil Pearsall; Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez; Melissa R. Gilbert; Simi Hoque; Hallie Eakin; Eduardo S. Brondizio; William Solecki; Laura Toran; Jennifer E. Baka; Jocelyn E. Behm; Christa Brelsford; Clare Hinrichs; Kevin A. Henry; Jeremy Mennis; Lara A. Roman; Christina Rosan; Eugenia C. South; Rachel D. Valletta. Advancing equitable health and well-being across urban–rural sustainable infrastructure systems. npj Urban Sustainability 2021, 1, 1 -6.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez, Melissa R. Gilbert, Simi Hoque, Hallie Eakin, Eduardo S. Brondizio, William Solecki, Laura Toran, Jennifer E. Baka, Jocelyn E. Behm, Christa Brelsford, Clare Hinrichs, Kevin A. Henry, Jeremy Mennis, Lara A. Roman, Christina Rosan, Eugenia C. South, Rachel D. Valletta. Advancing equitable health and well-being across urban–rural sustainable infrastructure systems. npj Urban Sustainability. 2021; 1 (1):1-6.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Victor Hugo Gutierrez-Velez; Melissa R. Gilbert; Simi Hoque; Hallie Eakin; Eduardo S. Brondizio; William Solecki; Laura Toran; Jennifer E. Baka; Jocelyn E. Behm; Christa Brelsford; Clare Hinrichs; Kevin A. Henry; Jeremy Mennis; Lara A. Roman; Christina Rosan; Eugenia C. South; Rachel D. Valletta. 2021. "Advancing equitable health and well-being across urban–rural sustainable infrastructure systems." npj Urban Sustainability 1, no. 1: 1-6.
Municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious goals to increase urban tree canopy (UTC), but there is little understanding of the pace and socioecological drivers of UTC change. We analyzed land cover change in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States) from 1970–2010 to examine the impacts of post-industrial processes on UTC. We interpreted land cover classes using aerial imagery and assessed historical context using archival newspapers, agency reports, and local historical scholarship. There was a citywide UTC increase of +4.3 percentage points. Substantial UTC gains occurred in protected open spaces related to both purposeful planting and unintentional forest emergence due to lack of maintenance, with the latter phenomenon well-documented in other cities located in forested biomes. Compared to developed lands, UTC was more persistent in protected open spaces. Some neighborhoods experienced substantial UTC gains, including quasi-suburban areas and depopulated low-income communities; the latter also experienced decreasing building cover. We identified key processes that drove UTC increases, and which imposed legacies on current UTC patterns: urban renewal, urban greening initiatives, quasi-suburban developments, and (dis)investments in parks. Our study demonstrates the socioecological dynamism of intra-city land cover changes at multi-decadal time scales and the crucial role of local historical context in the interpretation of UTC change.
Lara Roman; Indigo Catton; Eric Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore Eisenman; Jason Henning. Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City. Land 2021, 10, 403 .
AMA StyleLara Roman, Indigo Catton, Eric Greenfield, Hamil Pearsall, Theodore Eisenman, Jason Henning. Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City. Land. 2021; 10 (4):403.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLara Roman; Indigo Catton; Eric Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore Eisenman; Jason Henning. 2021. "Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City." Land 10, no. 4: 403.
Lara A. Roman; Indigo J. Catton; Eric J. Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore S. Eisenman; Jason G. Henning. Philadelphia land cover change data, 1970-2010. Forest Service Research Data Archive 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleLara A. Roman, Indigo J. Catton, Eric J. Greenfield, Hamil Pearsall, Theodore S. Eisenman, Jason G. Henning. Philadelphia land cover change data, 1970-2010. Forest Service Research Data Archive. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLara A. Roman; Indigo J. Catton; Eric J. Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore S. Eisenman; Jason G. Henning. 2021. "Philadelphia land cover change data, 1970-2010." Forest Service Research Data Archive , no. : 1.
This study examined gentrification patterns associated with eighteen new public green spaces created across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around 2010. Our study had three primary goals: 1) Characterize the local relationships between green space creation and gentrification across the city; 2) Investigate how different models of ownership and management approaches impact the public accessibility of newly created green spaces, 3) Examine connections between the public accessibility of new parks and the gentrification of the neighborhood. We drew on data from the 2000 US Census and the 2011–2016 American Community Survey Estimate data at the Block Group level, a field survey on public accessibility for parks that explores ownership, management, use/users, and quality, and semi-structured interviews conducted with six key informants from July-October 2018. We used Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) to examine local patterns of gentrification and qualitative analysis to examine the public accessibility of the public green spaces and experiences of residents and community leaders during the park development process. We found that public green spaces may anchor gentrification processes. Additionally, new spaces in wealthy neighborhoods were more publicly accessible than parks in gentrifying neighborhoods. Many spaces located in gentrifying neighborhoods relied on private management and had surveillance strategies, including cameras to security personnel. Our research points towards several key paradoxes associated with park development that can inform policy decisions regarding equitable park provision.
Hamil Pearsall; Jillian K. Eller. Locating the green space paradox: A study of gentrification and public green space accessibility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Landscape and Urban Planning 2019, 195, 103708 .
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Jillian K. Eller. Locating the green space paradox: A study of gentrification and public green space accessibility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2019; 195 ():103708.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Jillian K. Eller. 2019. "Locating the green space paradox: A study of gentrification and public green space accessibility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." Landscape and Urban Planning 195, no. : 103708.
This article employs a social justice framing to examine youth perspectives of the smart city. We examine how youth understand the impact of digital technologies on urban transformations and whether their technology skills and digital literacy give them a sense of ownership over the future of their city. Research was conducted within the context of a six-week summer educational program involving seventy-nine youth of color from public high schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program mixed digital skill building with urban fieldwork to prototype solutions to long-standing urban problems: the sort of problems that smart city policies also seek to change. Our research points to a conundrum for youth. Although they embraced technological innovations, they indicated that digital technologies failed to serve the public or address pressing concerns they identified as problematic within the city: crime, drugs, and homelessness. Instead, in their view, digital technologies delivered the most benefit to private spaces in the home and workplace. Furthermore, the youth did not envision that emergent technologies would improve their neighborhoods or communities but only their employment prospects. This research suggests that the emergent smart city is reproducing actual as well as perceived urban inequities: Wealthy residential neighborhoods and spaces of the new economy become “smart,” but much of the city remains left behind. These patterns create a paradox for youth who invest in digital skills while remaining on the margins of technology-driven, smart urban change. Key Words: digital divide, Philadelphia, smart city, social justice, youth.
Michele Masucci; Hamil Pearsall; Alan Wiig. The Smart City Conundrum for Social Justice: Youth Perspectives on Digital Technologies and Urban Transformations. Annals of the American Association of Geographers 2019, 110, 476 -484.
AMA StyleMichele Masucci, Hamil Pearsall, Alan Wiig. The Smart City Conundrum for Social Justice: Youth Perspectives on Digital Technologies and Urban Transformations. Annals of the American Association of Geographers. 2019; 110 (2):476-484.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichele Masucci; Hamil Pearsall; Alan Wiig. 2019. "The Smart City Conundrum for Social Justice: Youth Perspectives on Digital Technologies and Urban Transformations." Annals of the American Association of Geographers 110, no. 2: 476-484.
Scholars in urban political ecology, urban geography, and planning have suggested that urban greening interventions can create elite enclaves of environmental privilege and green gentrification, and exclude lower-income and minority residents from their benefits. Yet, much remains to be understood in regard to the magnitude, scope, and manifestations of green gentrification and the forms of contestation and resistance articulated against it. In this paper, we propose new questions, theoretical approaches, and research design approaches to examine the socio-spatial dynamics and ramifications of green gentrification and parse out why, how, where, and when green gentrification takes place.
Isabelle Anguelovski; James Jt Connolly; Melissa Garcia-Lamarca; Helen Cole; Hamil Pearsall. New scholarly pathways on green gentrification: What does the urban ‘green turn’ mean and where is it going? Progress in Human Geography 2018, 43, 1064 -1086.
AMA StyleIsabelle Anguelovski, James Jt Connolly, Melissa Garcia-Lamarca, Helen Cole, Hamil Pearsall. New scholarly pathways on green gentrification: What does the urban ‘green turn’ mean and where is it going? Progress in Human Geography. 2018; 43 (6):1064-1086.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsabelle Anguelovski; James Jt Connolly; Melissa Garcia-Lamarca; Helen Cole; Hamil Pearsall. 2018. "New scholarly pathways on green gentrification: What does the urban ‘green turn’ mean and where is it going?" Progress in Human Geography 43, no. 6: 1064-1086.
Hamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce. A spoiled well (of data): addressing the procedural injustice of contemporary environmental justice research through collaborative qualitative data gathering. Local Environment 2016, 22, 388 -392.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Joseph Pierce. A spoiled well (of data): addressing the procedural injustice of contemporary environmental justice research through collaborative qualitative data gathering. Local Environment. 2016; 22 (3):388-392.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce. 2016. "A spoiled well (of data): addressing the procedural injustice of contemporary environmental justice research through collaborative qualitative data gathering." Local Environment 22, no. 3: 388-392.
Hamil Pearsall. David Konisky, Editor: Failed Promises: Evaluating the Federal Government’s Response to Environmental Justice. Human Ecology 2016, 44, 273 -274.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall. David Konisky, Editor: Failed Promises: Evaluating the Federal Government’s Response to Environmental Justice. Human Ecology. 2016; 44 (2):273-274.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall. 2016. "David Konisky, Editor: Failed Promises: Evaluating the Federal Government’s Response to Environmental Justice." Human Ecology 44, no. 2: 273-274.
Previous research on broadening participation in higher education and Science Technology Engineering and Math has inadequately examined the role of place. This article explores the socio-spatial perceptions of youth of a college campus and changes in perceptions youth experience during their transition from being a university neighbor to becoming part of a university community. This study uses sketch maps and qualitative Geographic Information Systems to document the changing perceptions of 43 youth aged 14–18 during their participation in a university program. The results suggest that some students started to identify with campus spaces as a university student or employee rather than as a neighbor of the university.
Hamil Pearsall; Timothy Hawthorne; Daniel Block; Barbara Endemaño Walker; Michele Masucci. Exploring youth socio-spatial perceptions of higher education landscapes through sketch maps. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 2015, 39, 111 -130.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Timothy Hawthorne, Daniel Block, Barbara Endemaño Walker, Michele Masucci. Exploring youth socio-spatial perceptions of higher education landscapes through sketch maps. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 2015; 39 (1):111-130.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Timothy Hawthorne; Daniel Block; Barbara Endemaño Walker; Michele Masucci. 2015. "Exploring youth socio-spatial perceptions of higher education landscapes through sketch maps." Journal of Geography in Higher Education 39, no. 1: 111-130.
Municipal governments have incorporated brownfield redevelopment programmes into urban sustainability plans to encourage the redevelopment of these sites into productive uses. The combination of government support and developer initiatives indicates potential for the gentrification of brownfields. However, developer proposals to expedite the conversion of contaminated properties along the Gowanus Canal in New York City into residential and commercial venues resulted in the addition of the canal to the US National Priorities List (NPL) of uncontrolled hazardous sites, rendering the site less attractive to developers. It is argued that the listing process became an effective tool in the struggle to resist gentrification in the Gowanus Canal neighbourhood. Place stigmatisation slowed developer-driven redevelopment and the NPL designation allows for a comprehensive remediation approach and increases opportunities for community input. This study provides an interesting case study of resistance to developer-driven ‘smart-city’ planning that represents a meaningful departure from neoliberal urbanism.
Hamil Pearsall. Superfund Me: A Study of Resistance to Gentrification in New York City. Urban Studies 2013, 50, 2293 -2310.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall. Superfund Me: A Study of Resistance to Gentrification in New York City. Urban Studies. 2013; 50 (11):2293-2310.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall. 2013. "Superfund Me: A Study of Resistance to Gentrification in New York City." Urban Studies 50, no. 11: 2293-2310.
Hamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce; Robert Krueger. Whither Rio +20?: demanding a politics and practice of socially just sustainability. Local Environment 2012, 17, 935 -941.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Joseph Pierce, Robert Krueger. Whither Rio +20?: demanding a politics and practice of socially just sustainability. Local Environment. 2012; 17 (9):935-941.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce; Robert Krueger. 2012. "Whither Rio +20?: demanding a politics and practice of socially just sustainability." Local Environment 17, no. 9: 935-941.
Dooling [2009. Ecological gentrification: a research agenda exploring justice in the city. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 33 (3), 621–639] and Quastel [2009. Political ecologies of gentrification. Urban Geography, 30 (7), 694–725] reveal several ways in which urban sustainability efforts can produce gentrification, resulting in displacement and financial burden for the most vulnerable urban denizens. In the absence of adequate procedural justice measures, their studies suggest that long-time and vulnerable residents are negatively affected by urban sustainability efforts. However, some residents are able to remain in their neighbourhoods, and this study employs a resilience framework to explore what enables residents to resist displacement in three gentrifying neighbourhoods in New York City. Analysis of 42 interviews with residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn uncovers the multiple strategies residents use to adapt to an increasingly expensive urban environment. The case studies detailed in this paper highlight the multidimensional and context-specific nature of resilience, as well as the multiple scales at which resilience manifests. Gentrification, while reducing resilience at some scales, has not reduced resilience at all scales. Individual-level coping strategies emerge as an important characteristic of resilience during this period of gentrification. This study highlights the connections between scale and resilience and indicates how a better understanding of resilience can further contest the disruptive and socially unjust process of gentrification.
Hamil Pearsall. Moving out or moving in? Resilience to environmental gentrification in New York City. Local Environment 2012, 17, 1013 -1026.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall. Moving out or moving in? Resilience to environmental gentrification in New York City. Local Environment. 2012; 17 (9):1013-1026.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall. 2012. "Moving out or moving in? Resilience to environmental gentrification in New York City." Local Environment 17, no. 9: 1013-1026.
Many cities' municipal governments have made some version of “sustainability” an explicit policy goal over the past two decades. Previous research has documented how the operationalisation and conceptualisation of sustainability in urban sustainability plans vary greatly among cities, particularly with respect to environmental justice. This article reports on whether and how large American cities incorporate environmental justice into their urban sustainability indicator projects. Our findings suggest that while there has been an increase in the number of cities incorporating environmental justice elements into sustainability plans since the early 2000s, their conceptualizations and implementations of sustainability remain highly constrained. The paucity of evaluative tools suggests that environmental justice efforts are potentially losing traction in public debate over macro-scale sustainability concerns (e.g. climate change) or the need for regionally competitive environmental amenities (e.g. parks). This paper concludes with suggestions for revising existing sustainability plans to better reflect environmental justice concerns.
Hamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce. Urban sustainability and environmental justice: evaluating the linkages in public planning/policy discourse. Local Environment 2010, 15, 569 -580.
AMA StyleHamil Pearsall, Joseph Pierce. Urban sustainability and environmental justice: evaluating the linkages in public planning/policy discourse. Local Environment. 2010; 15 (6):569-580.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHamil Pearsall; Joseph Pierce. 2010. "Urban sustainability and environmental justice: evaluating the linkages in public planning/policy discourse." Local Environment 15, no. 6: 569-580.