Vulnerable socioeconomic groups are disproportionately exposed to multiple environmental burden in Berlin - implications– for planning

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper takes an urban planning perspective on environmental justice by separately analysing vulnerable socioeconomic groups for multiple environmental burden (EB) at the neighbourhood level in Berlin. We selected five socioeconomic groups: i) beneficiaries of social welfare, ii) inhabitants with migration background, iii) old-age poverty, iv) child poverty, and v) single-parent households. Four ecological indicators, i) air pollution, ii) noise pollution, iii) bioclimate (heat stress), and iv) lack of urban green spaces were merged to assess multiple EB at the Planning Area Level. Combining environmental and socioeconomic maps we identified hotspots of environmental injustice (EIJ) and demonstrate that selected vulnerable socioeconomic groups are disproportionately more affected by multiple EB than population not belonging to these groups. Some of the identified hotspots overlap, except for single-parent households. Finally, multi-purpose planning measures that mitigate the EBs considering the needs of the socioeconomic groups are recommended.