Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice

Covering both theory and proactive, environmental organizations are indexed according to their commitment to justice and/or sustainability principles as set forth in their mission statements. Examples illustrating broad issue categories of successful projects that exemplify just sustainability enhance the discussion * Choice *
A lively and thought-provoking text, with informative case study examples, which allows the reader plenty of opportunity to follow Agyeman’s reasoning and analysis. * Journal of the American Planning Association *
Agyeman’s advocacy for just sustainability effectively addresses the equity deficit of mainstream sustainability. In his conclusion, he suggests a number of strategies that could be of use to those of us in the design community. One of these is the concept of an ‘environmental space,’ built on the idea of a sustainable community place. In this matrix, not only are traditional environmental resources considered but also included in the equation are social and economic entitlements. Environmental space analysis is exactly the kind of hybrid problem that design professionals commonly work with. This creative reframing of urban space and social justice issues is a strategy that might well be duplicated in rethinking our course projects and other scholarly pursuits. * Journal of Architectural Education *