Studies & collaborations
Heat Mapping Project: In the South Bronx and Northern Manhattan
South Bronx Unite x Columbia University
Last summer, South Bronx Unite collaborated with researchers from Columbia University to visualize extreme heat in the South Bronx and Northern Manhattan. Extreme heat is the #1 weather-related killer in the US, and Black Americans die at disproportionately higher rates than others. Our South Bronx community is no exception to this trend as we suffer from the compounding effects of extreme heat, pollution, and lack of green space all the while climate change looms as a threat multiplier.
View video recording here
The People’s Environmental Impact Study
South Bronx Unite x Columbia University
Studies have found that asthma emergency department visits among children ages 5 to 17 in the Mott Haven and Melrose neighborhoods in the Bronx are nearly triple the citywide rate. And the overall asthma hospitalization rate is eight times greater than the national average. To assess the impact of FreshDirect’s plan on the community, the City and State relied on an outdated, 19-year-old environmental impact study which did not account for new measures to track pollution, nor did it consider the projected 1,000 diesel truck trips that FreshDirect would make through the community every day. South Bronx Unite partnered with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health to evaluate the online grocer’s impact on air quality and noise in the community. Measurements were taken along the route of FreshDirect trucks in the area.
Traffic Congestion Study
South Bronx Unite x Columbia University
The waterfront in the South Bronx in New York City is used industrially and harbors the Harlem River Yards (HRY), which includes a mixed-use area that is separated from a densely populated residential area by interstates. The development of the HRY expanded, including the opening of Fresh Direct in 2018. The study analyzes the trends in traffic congestion near the HRY between 2017 and 2019.
Collaborations
Clean Air for the Long Haul
The Clean Air for the Long Haul cohort is composed of environmental justice groups from across the country who are working together to move forward campaigns centering overburdened communities in federal rulemaking in the power and transportation sectors. Through its campaigns, the cohort works to catalyze the environmental justice movement to lead in fueling political will for ambitious, durable rulemaking and explore opportunities to pursue emission reductions for all criteria air pollution from power plants, cars and trucks plagues their communities.
Environmental Justice Leadership Forum
The EJLF is a national coalition of 54 environmental justice organizations working together to advance climate justice and impact policy to ensure the protection and promotion of communities of color and low-income communities throughout the U.S.
Green Our City Now Coalition
South Bronx Unite x NY League of Conservation Voters x WeAct
Green Our City Now is fighting environmental racism -- racial discrimination in environmental policy-making, enforcement of regulations and laws, and targeting communities of color for toxic siting of polluting industries. We fight to remedy the negative cumulative impacts of unjust policies that have plagued communities of color for decades.
New York City Community Land Initiative
NYCCLI is an alliance of social justice and affordable housing organizations committed to winning housing for all New Yorkers. Our alliance includes grassroots, community- and faith-based, labor, and city-wide organizations working to advance Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to address root causes of homelessness and displacement.