Communicating environmental risks with African-American communities: A Cognitive Psychology perspective

摘要

Poor urban stormwater management has been a consistent issue for African-American and underserved communities across the United States, particularly in the southeastern United States. Acute vulnerability to stormwater is often an artifact of the "classic southern" pattern of residential settlement that was established post-Reconstruction. Over the past two decades there has been growing efforts to use green infrastructure to address stormwater problems. However, this investment in community infrastructure has had at times the perverse effect of intensifying urban gentrification. Focus groups and a subsequent neighborhood survey in a predominantly African-American community in a large southeastern city in the United States are used to examine this phenomenon. This work suggests the need to address lingering questions of environmental equity and racism. A central concept key to addressing these questions is the role of trust between citizens and local governments in addressing stormwater concerns and other management issues. Our presentation makes use of this case study to examine the communication of environmental risks with African-American community partners making use of insights from the cognitive psychology and risk perception literature.