Industrial Siting
The decision-making process that determines where new factories, refineries, landfills, or hazardous facilities get built. Historically these decisions concentrated polluters in low-income and minority neighborhoods.
Related terms
Redlining A historical, federally sanctioned practice (begun by HOLC in the 1930s) of denying mortgages and investment to neighborhoods marked 'hazardous'—usually based on race. Today's most polluted zip codes correlate strongly with the old redlined maps. Environmental Justice The principle that all people, regardless of race or income, deserve equal protection from environmental hazards and equal access to a healthy environment. Fenceline Community A neighborhood immediately adjacent to an industrial plant, refinery, or military base. Residents literally share a fence line with the polluter and are the first to be hit by chemical spills, noise, or toxic plumes. Sacrifice Zone A geographic area that has been permanently impaired or deemed expendable for the sake of broader economic growth or industrial production. These zones almost exclusively impact low-income or minority populations.