PSRC just released its Industrial Lands Analysis detailing the economic impact industrial lands have on our region, how we can accommodate economic growth on industrial land and the effects these lands can have on its neighboring communities.
For our latest Puget Sound trend, PSRC examined who lives next to these industrial lands, the impact it has on their health and what we can do to combat environmental racism within our region.
According to data from the American Community Survey, communities near the region’s designated Manufacturing Industrial Centers (MICs) are disproportionately people of color. Populations living within a mile of MICs are 47% people of color, compared to 39% for the region overall.
Some racial/ethnic groups disproportionately overrepresented in these communities include Asian households, where 16.3% live within a mile of MIC, compared to 14.2% of the population they make up regionally, and Hispanic/Latinx households, where 12.4% live within a mile of industrial lands, compared to their population of 10.6% regionwide.
Communities near industrial lands are exposed to higher levels of air pollutants, soil and groundwater contamination and volatile organic compounds and arsenic.
Understanding the impact industrial lands can have within marginalized communities can help jurisdictions understand ways to mitigate harm towards these communities. The Industrial Lands Report informs local jurisdictions as they update local comprehensive plans.
For more information about the communities that live by MICs, check out our Puget Sound Trend. More information about the impact of industrial lands in communities can also be found in Chapter 8 of our Industrial Land Analysis.