Enhancing Spatial Justice in Jacksonville’s Neighborhood Revitalization

The project aims to address the inequitable distribution of resources, services, and access in Jacksonville’s urban core by centering the needs, experiences, and potential of underserved communities. By employing a participatory action research approach, the project seeks to integrate community-designed spatial justice principles into the city’s infrastructure planning. Drawing on critical scholarship, the project recognizes the intersectionality of justice and infrastructure, particularly in the face of climate change impacts on coastal infrastructure. Jacksonville, facing significant coastal flooding risks by 2050, is home to historically marginalized Black communities disproportionately affected by both social injustices and climate change. Through an examination of historic redlining practices and ongoing disparities in infrastructure provision, the project seeks to understand and address the root causes of spatial injustice in the urban core. This interdisciplinary project, bridging built environment studies and community psychology and health, underscores the importance of community-driven research in promoting social progress and environmental resilience. Through a focus on healing, community engagement, and evidence-based advocacy, the project aims to create opportunities for historically disenfranchised communities to thrive amidst ongoing urban revitalization efforts.