This article is a case study of one Community-University Research and Action Partnership (CURAP) focused on soil lead, urban gardening, and environmental justice in Sacramento, California. We argue that creating and sustaining CURAPs requires a process of weaving together diverse strands of knowledge, resources, and lines of accountability that connect all parties involved. Like the physical process of weaving fabric, weaving CURAPs involve creative and collaborative uses and responses to tension between all elements of a partnership.
"Capitalizing Environmental Justice in the Sacramento Region" assesses the dire conditions of environmental injustice confronting low-income communities and communities of color in California's Capital Region. However, local residents and regional leaders have begun to develop a cohesive framework for action to improve conditions in their communities, and to contribute to the region's burgeoning EJ movement. This report is rooted in a long-time collaboration between the CRC and the Coalition on Regional Equity (CORE), and several of CORE's primary organizational members.
From Testimony to Transformation: The Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods (IVAN) Program is a new report from the CRC that examines IVAN's history, successes, and challenges, and offers suggestions for expanding and improving program. We intend for this report to inform a wide range of audiences, including funders, policy-makers, public agency officials, and environmental justice advocates in California and beyond that are either currently involved in IVAN or are considering establishing an IVAN network.
The goal of this project is to provide analytical and mapping support to the Ubuntu Green's Brownfields and Vacant Spaces Campaign and efforts by the Sacramento Housing Alliance and the Coalition on Regional Equity to advance a healthy land use agenda in traditionally marginalized communities in Sacramento.
The Center for Regional Change is providing technical assistance and capacity-building for environmental justice, health and social equity advocates in the San Joaquin Valley to enhance their impacts on the region's Sustainable Community Strategies.
The Center for Regional Change and the California Institute of Rural Studies have partnered with the Eastern Coachella Valley Building Healthy Community (ECV-BHC) to advance environmental justice-related policy and systems change priorities in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The goals are to increase the capacity of the ECV-BHC partners to access relevant, accurate and timely sources of data and to increase utilization of this data for advocacy, organization and education. The project is funded by The California Endowment.
The UC Davis Center for Regional Change has released a path-breaking report, “Land of Risk/ Land of Opportunity” documenting the high levels of environmental and social risks confronting San Joaquin Valley residents. The report uses an innovative new tool, called the Cumulative Environmental Vulnerabilities Assessment (CEVA), to identify the locations and populations within the Valley that are at greatest risk and that require immediate protection.
Environmental Justice and Regional Change in the Central Valley is an interdisciplinary study of the social equity impacts of regionalism in environmental governance.
We systematically examine how racial minority, low-income, and immigrant communities fare in the rescaling of decision-making about regional land use, transportation, housing, and water management.
