Perceived differences in the (re)production of environmental deprivation between sub-populations: A study combining citizens’ perceptions with remote-sensed and administrative data

Abstract

Environmental deprivation significantly influences urban livability. Previous studies applied spatial data to evaluate environmental deprivation across various neighborhoods, and the identified deprived areas can be directly used in urban planning as areas that need to be addressed. However, perceptions of oneself regarding the local urban environment can influence sense of wellbeing, mental health, and social behavior of this individual; and any adverse feelings from the subjective environmental status can further influence perceived environmental deprivation. This perceived environmental deprivation can be different from the estimation of “objective” environmental deprivation, and perception itself can vary among subpopulations. Absence of consideration of variation in perceived environmental deprivation can lead to a failure of sustainable planning to support all oppressed people affected by urban development. Therefore, we combined citizens’ perceptions with remote-sensed and administrative data to characterize perceived environmental deprivation among subpopulations, based on a questionnaire with ranks of specific environmental issues under a “city as a whole” concept. Generally, perceived environmental deprivation among subpopulations was driven by different facts. Based on the spatial comparison, self-identified urban residents and people aged>=30 have faced higher environmental deprivation across the whole city than self-identified rural residents and younger ages. Females, lower income population, and indoor workers have faced with higher environmental deprivation across urban areas than males and higher income population and outdoor workers. These implied that perceived environmental deprivation may be driven by social behaviors of individuals because of social inequality, while planning protocols should be targeted to specific populations to provide comprehensive community support and equity.