Social segregation of ecosystem services delivery in the San Antonio region, Texas, through 2050

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2019-06, Vol.667, p.234-247
• Main Authors: Yi, Hoonchong, Kreuter, Urs P., Han, Daikwon, Güneralp, Burak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental justice; North American Free Trade Agreement; Residential segregation; Social-ecological divide; Social-ecological systems; Urban ecosystems
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.130

Inequality in access to ecosystem services is inextricably linked with environmental justice in socially heterogeneous urban settings. Historically, San Antonio has been the gateway to Mexico and is strategically located along the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) corridor. It is also characterized by some of the most distinct residential segregation among U.S. cities. However, little is understood about the ways in which historically institutionalized residential segregation initiated by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) and NAFTA have affected socio-ecological outcomes. Here, this paper presents a novel empirical study of racial residential segregation. The study utilizes quantitative and spatially explicit estimates of regulating ecosystem services and biodiversity, and links the supply of ecosystem services to the distribution of human well-being within a heterogeneous social-ecological system. Specifically, the paper employed 1930s HOLC redlining maps and applied the ceteris paribus approach for racial concentrations to reflect a historical legacy and path dependence by institutional inertia. The results point to the social-ecological divide in that Hispanic and African American minorities derive fewer ecosystem benefits and face greater health risks and socio-economic disadvantages (p