Unsheltered Homelessness in Urban Parks: Perspectives on Environment,Health,and Justice in Salt Lake City,Utah

Abstract

Abstract

Unsheltered homelessness in the United States forces hundreds of thousands of people to sleep, eat, and live in the public sphere. Urban parks often become temporary homes for individuals facing poverty, substance addiction, mental illness, servitude, and other social concerns. For individuals facing homelessness, these parks are primary sources of stability in often desperate situations. Residing in parks and protected areas, however, raises concerns for the residents in terms of personal health and safety, and raises other concerns for public health, public safety, and environmental impacts. This research considers the relationships between unsheltered homelessness and perspectives of local environmental conditions. Surveys were completed by recreational users (n = 332) of City Creek Canyon, a riparian corridor in Salt Lake City, Utah, to understand visitors' perspectives of the social and environmental impacts of unsheltered homelessness in the area. Results indicate an overall awareness of homelessness in the area, and a simultaneous indication that homelessness does little to affect either recreational behavior or perceived environmental impacts to the water, wildlife, or overall ecological functioning. Implications from this research illuminate that common responses of forced displacement of individuals facing homelessness from parks—by law enforcement, health department, or park management officials—represent not only social justice concerns but also environmental justice concerns for those facing homelessness. Similar to “right to the city” movements, access to environmental resources, in this case a place to live, represents an environmental justice issue for some of the most marginalized members of our communities.