Project

Enhancing Spatial Justice in Jacksonville’s Neighborhood Revitalization

Full Title: Prioritizing Spatial Justice in Neighborhood Revitalization: Adaptation and Resilience Building in Jacksonville

The project addresses inequities in Jacksonville’s urban core by centering the needs of underserved communities and integrating community-designed spatial justice principles into infrastructure planning through participatory action research. Drawing on critical scholarship and recognizing the intersection of justice and infrastructure, particularly in the face of climate change, the project aims to understand and address root causes of spatial injustice, promoting social progress and environmental resilience through community-driven research and advocacy.

Lead Investigator: : Dr. Jason von Meding Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience Jason.vonmeding@ufl.edu, Dr. Marjorie Prokosch Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience mprokosch@ufl.edu, Dr. Jacqueline Conley Department Chair Social and Behavioural sciences j.conley@ewc.edu, Dr. Darien Alexander Williams Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lab on Regional Innovation and Spatial Analysis darienaw@mit.edu, Dr. Brian Seymour Chair of Biology Edward waters college brian.seymour@ewc.edu

Project Team: Christina Kittle Jacksonville Community Action Committee, David Prevatt University of Florida, Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, Thomas Ruppert Florida Sea Grant, Dr. Colin Smith University of Florida Psychology department

Collaborator: Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville City Council, Jacksonville Citizen Planning Advisory Committees

Award Amount: $199,906

Year Funded: 2022

Award Period: 2/1/22 – 1/31/24

Project Abstract:

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.

Products, Datasets, and Reports

The project received a no cost extension through 1/31/25. Their project began in earnest in late 2022, marked by a community launch in December 2022, following delays with the initial award and subsequent subaward to Edward Waters University (partner delay, not UF). These delays impacted hiring and community engagement, crucial foundations of their research. As they approach the halfway point in their schedule, they seek an extension from 1/31/2024 to 1/31/2025 to ensure completion of the cycles of community-based research and fulfillment of project objectives.

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