Project number: MF-1.1g
Funding source: Volvo Research and Educational Foundations
Performance period: 01/01/2017 to 01/01/2018

Project description

Warehousing activities generate substantial externalities that affect surrounding neighborhoods. Using data for four major metropolitan areas in California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento, this study tests the relationship between the spatial distribution of warehouses and disadvantaged neighborhoods. The results show that warehouses are disproportionately located in minority neighborhoods, regardless of the urban contexts. The four metros are diversified in the roles of global trade, land availability, and development stage of the warehousing industry. However, the consistent spatial patterns across these metros suggest that the environmental justice problem in warehousing location is a common concern. Local governments should monitor and evaluate the rapid spatial expansion of warehousing facilities and make efforts to mitigate subsequent environmental impacts that are disproportionately located in disadvantaged communities.