Environmental Outcomes of Municipal Incorporation

A Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Conditions in Incorporating Cities of Color and Majority White Municipalities

Abstract

Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by environmental justice issues and numerous scholars have highlighted the relationship between environmental racism and minority communities. However, little research has explored the relationship between the establishment of new majority-minority municipalities and issues of environmental inequality. Does a community of color’s decision to incorporate lead to improved environmental conditions compared to recently incorporated majority white municipalities? This study explores the relationship between the incorporation of majority-minority communities and environmental conditions in new municipalities through a quantitative analysis, which includes the use of a bivariate independent T-test and multivariate regression modeling, comparing new Cities of Color and recently incorporated white municipalities. The study hypothesizes that Cities of Color will experience poorer environmental conditions compared to new majority white municipalities as a result of environmental racism, locally unwanted land uses and municipal underbounding, which have all been shown to be rationales for seeking incorporation by majority-minority communities. This study does not attempt to determine if these rationales were the reason for a community of color to seek incorporation. Rather, the research seeks to determine if environmental inequalities exist amongst new municipalities. As highlighted in previous studies, environmental indicators levels of hazards are higher in Cities of Color compared to majority white municipalities, but the differences were not statistically significant.