| NSF Org: |
SMA SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 4, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 10, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1808869 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Josie S. Welkom
SMA SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $138,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $138,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
Portland OR US 97215-2270 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Portland OR US 97215-2270 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | (SPRF-FR) SBE Postdoctoral Res |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.075 |
ABSTRACT
This award was provided as part of NSF's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF) program. The goal of the SPRF program is to prepare promising, early career doctoral-level scientists for scientific careers in academia, industry or private sector, and government. SPRF awards involve two years of training under the sponsorship of established scientists and encourage Postdoctoral Fellows to perform independent research. NSF seeks to promote the participation of scientists from all segments of the scientific community, including those from underrepresented groups, in its research programs and activities; the postdoctoral period is considered to be an important level of professional development in attaining this goal. Each Postdoctoral Fellow must address important scientific questions that advance their respective disciplinary fields. Under the sponsorship of Dr. Laura Pulido at the University of Oregon, this postdoctoral fellowship award supports an early career scientist investigating the role of grassroots movements in urban sustainability transitions. Over the last two decades, the United State's homeless population has grown substantially. At the same time, environmental concerns have become more mainstream. As a result, public agencies are increasingly tasked with managing conflicts that result in and from homeless people living in urban green spaces. In response, grassroots groups are establishing homeless rest areas. Also called tent cities or encampments (and distinct from publicly funded highway rest areas), rest areas now exist in over 100 US cities. Rest areas typically involve a collection of tents and temporary shelters on public and private land. They are usually managed by and for homeless people, providing a safe place for daily life off the streets. Yet, little research has focused on these spaces and communities in the context of the green urbanism movement. This project addresses three questions: 1) What is the current geography of rest areas in US cities?, 2) What is the relationship between rest area communities and conservation organizations and public agencies?, and 3) What role do rest area communities play in grassroots movements for urban sustainability? This research contributes insights for policymakers and community organizations seeking to manage urban green spaces and address the needs of a growing homeless population.
This study examines urban socio-ecological change in an era defined by growing mainstream environmental consciousness, green urban development, and housing precariousness. Integrating relational/comparative urbanism theory into an extended case method framework, this project entails an in-depth investigation of one particular grassroots organization based in Portland, Oregon that is known for its role in promulgating the homeless rest area model throughout the US. The project then extends from this central case to involve a broad survey of US rest areas (n~140) and a deeper investigation of rest areas in four municipalities selected for their status as green cities and their relationships to the central case, as well as for their variations in region, broader social/EJ movement foci, and rest area developmental stages. A national phone survey, in-person interviews, observation, and content analysis of municipal documents and media coverage will result in a new mapping of the role of rest area communities in urban sustainability transitions.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project investigates how environmental justice issues impact homeless people in an era defined by growing mainstream environmental consciousness, green development, and housing precariousness. An estimated 3.5 million people experience homelessness in the US each year, in the context of an ongoing housing crisis, an extraordinary climate emergency, and ever-shrinking social safety nets. Black and Indigenous people and other people of color; the LGBTQ+ community; people with disabilities; and elders are hardest hit, due to complex historical and present-day systems of oppression. Those living on the streets contend with a host of issues, including exposure to extreme weather and disasters, lack of access to food and hygiene facilities, police violence, harassment by local vigilante groups, and illness and disease. In response, a powerful grassroots movement centered around homeless-run communities has emerged over the last two decades. A growing number of homeless people in cities across North America have joined together to construct cooperative spaces for sleeping, cooking, eating, gardening, and other daily activities. Communities run by and for houseless people reduce crime, give people a safe place to rest, and provide a place for residents to ?feel human?.
Yet, this postdoctoral research reveals how such community residents congregated together, like people ?sleeping rough?, independently on the streets, remain extremely vulnerable to environmental hazards. Air pollution, soil toxins, rodents, floods, landslides, harsh winter weather, drought, mold and mildew, fire danger, and more exacerbate the difficulties of surviving without stable housing. When communities are built on polluted sites -- often the only urban land not slated for development or planned green space -- people are exposed to dangerous contaminants. Many communities are in a catch-22: speak up, and appeal to local public agencies to assist in remediating hazards, and risk eviction. Stay silent, and continue living in dangerous conditions.
A national phone survey, in-person interviews, observation, and analysis of municipal documents and media coverage have resulted in a new mapping of the connections between homeless activist organizations and movements for just urban sustainabilities. It has also established a better understanding of the relationship between environmental politics, environmental justice (EJ) issues, and homeless communities. Outputs of this research include academic papers, book chapters, a full book manuscript proposal, a ?radical tour guide? insert, popular education materials and curriculum, academic and public presentations, mentoring of community and student researchers, and additional outputs. EJ Toolkit materials and other information is available at restingsafe.org.
Last Modified: 09/29/2020
Modified by: Erin Goodling
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