The Role of Grassroots Movements in Urban Sustainability

Goodling Erin, Portland OR

Investigators

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.