Policy Decisions and Environmental Justice for Casinos in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

Abstract

Throughout the United States, an increasing number of states have turned to legalizing gambling and constructing casinos as a source of economic development. In 2004, casino gambling was legalized in Pennsylvania. The state plans to open 14 slot machine casinos, and 2 of them would be located in the city of Philadelphia. Much debate occurred regarding the location of these casinos in Philadelphia; currently one casino is open and construction has yet to begin on the other. However, casinos have been proven to cause many potential problems for the area where they are located, such as pollution, crime, and traffic. Because of these problems, it is believed that casinos are often located in neighborhoods dominated by people who traditionally lack political power. This project seeks to analyze the public policy actions that have resulted in the two current casino locations in Philadelphia, and examine the socioeconomic characteristics of the areas surrounding the casinos using environmental justice GIS methods.

Citation

Conway, M. (2012), "Policy Decisions and Environmental Justice for Casinos in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)", Camp Yeakey, C. (Ed.) Living on the Boundaries: Urban Marginality in National and International Contexts (Advances in Education in Diverse Communities, Vol. 8), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 329-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-358X(2012)0000008018