Fixing Asthma Alley
MEMORANDUM
TO: New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio
FROM: Patrick Spauster, Concerned Undergraduate Researcher, Davidson College
TOPIC: Managing Air Pollution in the South Bronx
DATE: March 20th, 2016
SETTING:
The South Bronx is an integral part of one of the world’s greatest cities. But Bronx residents often feel like they live in a forgotten other world from the rest of the city. “We’re five miles from Wall Street… the Tale of Two Cities doesn’t exist anywhere like the South Bronxi.” Environmental activist Michael Johnson is fed up with air pollution in the Sough Bronx. The South Bronx, and in particular, Mott Haven-Port Morris is the poorest district in the country.ii The area has some of the highest urban pollutant levels in the country due to the presence of industry and heavy automobile traffic on roadways. It has been nicknamed Asthma Alley because of the negative health consequences of this pollution. The evidence is clear. Fixing asthma alley is a problem that requires unilateral action on the part...
