Industrial risks by the coast: how people-place bonds impact acceptance of a red mud recycling project ( Riesgos industriales en la costa: cómo afectan los lazos persona-lugar a la aceptación de un proyecto de reciclaje de lodo rojo )

Abstract

Industries sometimes leaves invisible yet dangerous chemical memories of their activities. Because these compounds are invisible, people rely on heuristics informed in part by people-place relations to make a risk judgment. The Marseille region of France provides an interesting case to analyse how local risks are judged in relation to people-place variables. The perceived risks of a depollution project where ‘red mud’ (an industrial residue) is used to neutralize lead-contaminated soil are analysed in relation to (1) place attachment and (2) trust in several types of organization. Results show that participants with stronger local attachment perceive their local environment as less polluted and consider the project as a greater threat. Furthermore, risks vs. benefits associated with the project are significantly explained by age (associated with perceived risk) and trust in societal organizations (associated with perceived benefits). Discussion considers how the diversity of local publics could lead to widely different reactions to the depollution project across the city’s social tissue.