Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city
Sea level rise and increasing frequency and intensity of coastal storms are driving the need for managed retreat and relocation for at risk coastal populations. Managed retreat through voluntary buyouts is typically studied either from the perspective of the buyouts’ process or focused on those who...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1481919/full |
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| author | Veronica Olivotto Veronica Olivotto Katinka Wijsman Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson |
| author_facet | Veronica Olivotto Veronica Olivotto Katinka Wijsman Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson |
| author_sort | Veronica Olivotto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sea level rise and increasing frequency and intensity of coastal storms are driving the need for managed retreat and relocation for at risk coastal populations. Managed retreat through voluntary buyouts is typically studied either from the perspective of the buyouts’ process or focused on those who leave, but little attention is given to who and what is left behind. How do buyouts impact those staying behind, and their senses of justice? We examine this question for the low-lying majority-minority neighborhood of Edgemere, Queens in New York City where Superstorm Sandy buyouts and a long history of failed urban renewal have led to large amounts of vacant land. This study analyzes ongoing and intersectional conditi ons of residents’ flood vulnerability. It grounds this analysis in 18 in-depth interviews with local residents capturing their perceptions of vacant land and its reuse, flood risk and neighborhood needs. The analysis is complemented with field observations, semi-structured interviews with city agencies involved in resilience planning initiatives and analysis of historical urban planning and open space plans in this area. Findings reveal the importance of elevating residents’ understanding of place to inform possible land uses after retreat in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Furthermore, they reveal both the injustices of and attachments to living in flood prone, disenfranchised coastal neighborhoods. They also show how these experiences entangle with the citywide housing crisis. In conclusion, if retreat and post-buyout efforts aspire to be just, they need to center how past and present contextual injustice shapes the relationships between distributive and recognitional injustice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-88f8332dc35f475fb084aca7df8e88aa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-88f8332dc35f475fb084aca7df8e88aa2025-01-24T12:34:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-01-01610.3389/fclim.2024.14819191481919Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York cityVeronica Olivotto0Veronica Olivotto1Katinka Wijsman2Timon McPhearson3Timon McPhearson4Timon McPhearson5Milano School for Urban Policy, Management and the Environment, The New School University, New York, NY, United StatesUrban Systems Lab, The New School University, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, Utrecht, NetherlandsUrban Systems Lab, The New School University, New York, NY, United StatesCary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, United StatesStockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenSea level rise and increasing frequency and intensity of coastal storms are driving the need for managed retreat and relocation for at risk coastal populations. Managed retreat through voluntary buyouts is typically studied either from the perspective of the buyouts’ process or focused on those who leave, but little attention is given to who and what is left behind. How do buyouts impact those staying behind, and their senses of justice? We examine this question for the low-lying majority-minority neighborhood of Edgemere, Queens in New York City where Superstorm Sandy buyouts and a long history of failed urban renewal have led to large amounts of vacant land. This study analyzes ongoing and intersectional conditi ons of residents’ flood vulnerability. It grounds this analysis in 18 in-depth interviews with local residents capturing their perceptions of vacant land and its reuse, flood risk and neighborhood needs. The analysis is complemented with field observations, semi-structured interviews with city agencies involved in resilience planning initiatives and analysis of historical urban planning and open space plans in this area. Findings reveal the importance of elevating residents’ understanding of place to inform possible land uses after retreat in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Furthermore, they reveal both the injustices of and attachments to living in flood prone, disenfranchised coastal neighborhoods. They also show how these experiences entangle with the citywide housing crisis. In conclusion, if retreat and post-buyout efforts aspire to be just, they need to center how past and present contextual injustice shapes the relationships between distributive and recognitional injustice.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1481919/fullcontextual justicerecognitional justicedistributive justicemanaged retreatproperty buyoutland restoration |
| spellingShingle | Veronica Olivotto Veronica Olivotto Katinka Wijsman Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson Timon McPhearson Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city Frontiers in Climate contextual justice recognitional justice distributive justice managed retreat property buyout land restoration |
| title | Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city |
| title_full | Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city |
| title_fullStr | Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city |
| title_full_unstemmed | Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city |
| title_short | Senses of justice after managed retreat in New York city |
| title_sort | senses of justice after managed retreat in new york city |
| topic | contextual justice recognitional justice distributive justice managed retreat property buyout land restoration |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1481919/full |
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