EQUITY AND REMEDIATION HUB

by Oluwadunsin Adedimeji

Climate change and the environmental emergency affects us all but not equally. There is a pattern of disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards being experienced by communities with a higher number of people of colour; this correlation is known as ‘environmental racism’. As race and class often intersect, financial income in a community also correlates. In the Royal Docks community, this correlation is present and affecting the daily lives of residents, although they may be unaware. Environmental racism has various social effects, not just environmental. The scope of these effects is so wide that the connection between them is not always immediately apparent. My final project aims to address these issues, with coordinated design. It will try to tackle environmental racism in its various forms, through awareness and action. The journey through the building will push visitors to acknowledge the issue of ground pollution and then be presented with opportunities to experience spatial programmes that attempt to remediate the social effects, further their acknowledgment through discussion and provide dedicated spaces that enrich the community in terms of the arts and technology. This is necessary to alleviate the strain put on communities such as the Royal Docks within the climate crisis.