National City Brownfields: Resident Thoughts on Community Improvements

National City’s industrial history has led to an excessive number of brownfields plaguing the community. In an effort to rectify this problem, city officials partnered with the Sage Project on a project funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). One goal of the project is to gain insight into how community members feel about their environment and potential improvements they would like to see. Professor Norah Shultz’s SOC 407 Research and Experimental Methods class was tasked with conducting a survey-based community research project to answer this question. This cross-platform survey, utilizing in person and electronic recruitment, was created and implemented by the class. There was special care taken to learn about National City so that the questions and recruitment strategies were tailored to the community of interest. With no incentive for participation, 100 people participated in the survey. These surveys revealed a strong sense of community and a need for further education on the topic of brownfields. Issues noted were a need for improvement to the physical environment, a lack of adequate housing, and a desire for more community centers and parks rather than retail space. While continued research would be beneficial, the findings shared in this report provide suggestions for improvements in an underserved community.