I have selected neutral because I am for environmental justice, yet am concerned the the 2040 GP is going to deepen environmental injustice. The 2040 GP is many things, but among them is a deregulation of housing redevelopment to increase densification. As a deregulation, we will be depending upon private industry market forces to create environmental justice. Instead - private industry market forces favor the wealthy over the poor - it's where the most profit is. We need local government to provide low-cost/affordable housing minimums, we need rent control, we need other government regulations in place to protect against gentrification and displacement so that social networks of lower-income neighborhoods remain in tact during times of redevelopment changes, and we need for people to have enough sunshine, soil, and clean water around their homes to grow their own food when private industry market forces will not serve their communities' needs for fresh, nutritious food..
Could we maybe not use the genetically predispositioned size of someone body as an indicator of community health? Body size is as diverse as the population. There is not one correct size to be. The issue is the quality and accessibility of healthy foods to these communities, not their body size.
I would like to advocate for a shift in focus in this plan when discussing the food environment and food quality, as the current language places a heavy focus on “obesity” as the primary measure for the health of our community. This language is harmful. It perpetuates fatphobic, racist, and classist narratives about body size and health. It reinforces oppressive systems and cultural narratives that ultimately leads to worse health outcomes. It is entirely possible to talk about the equitable distribution of food without demonizing fatness or moralizing health and food. Let us consider the impact of fat phobia when we talk about equity, as this is often overlooked despite the plethora of research showing the harm of weight stigma on health. Terms like “obesity” reinforce that people in larger bodies are a problem to be solved does not support in good individual or community health. The ‘Association of Size Diversity’ and ‘Health at Every Size’ would be great resources to look into.
I have selected neutral because I am for environmental justice, yet am concerned the the 2040 GP is going to deepen environmental injustice. The 2040 GP is many things, but among them is a deregulation of housing redevelopment to increase densification. As a deregulation, we will be depending upon private industry market forces to create environmental justice. Instead - private industry market forces favor the wealthy over the poor - it's where the most profit is. We need local government to provide low-cost/affordable housing minimums, we need rent control, we need other government regulations in place to protect against gentrification and displacement so that social networks of lower-income neighborhoods remain in tact during times of redevelopment changes, and we need for people to have enough sunshine, soil, and clean water around their homes to grow their own food when private industry market forces will not serve their communities' needs for fresh, nutritious food..
Could we maybe not use the genetically predispositioned size of someone body as an indicator of community health? Body size is as diverse as the population. There is not one correct size to be. The issue is the quality and accessibility of healthy foods to these communities, not their body size.
I would like to advocate for a shift in focus in this plan when discussing the food environment and food quality, as the current language places a heavy focus on “obesity” as the primary measure for the health of our community. This language is harmful. It perpetuates fatphobic, racist, and classist narratives about body size and health. It reinforces oppressive systems and cultural narratives that ultimately leads to worse health outcomes. It is entirely possible to talk about the equitable distribution of food without demonizing fatness or moralizing health and food. Let us consider the impact of fat phobia when we talk about equity, as this is often overlooked despite the plethora of research showing the harm of weight stigma on health. Terms like “obesity” reinforce that people in larger bodies are a problem to be solved does not support in good individual or community health. The ‘Association of Size Diversity’ and ‘Health at Every Size’ would be great resources to look into.