Environmental Quality around Schools: A Privilege for the Wealthy or a Right for All?
(2024) Belgian Geographers Day 2024 — Location: Namur (15.March.2024)
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- Abstract
- Green spaces in schools promote students' mental well-being, reduce stress, and enhance concentration. Children are also particularly vulnerable to air pollution-related diseases and since they spend a significant amount of time at school, it is crucial to ensure that they all have access to a quality environment. This equitable access to environmental quality at school remains underexplored, especially in Belgium. This study investigated the relationship between students' socioeconomic status and the environmental quality of schools in Belgium. Variations were observed based on the type of environment (rural, urban), educational level (primary, secondary) and the French and Dutch-speaking network. We used a socioeconomic index (ISE) that classifies schools based on seven indicators measuring the socioeconomic status of their population. Our analyses showed a significant correlation between the ISE and environmental quality around schools. Disadvantaged schools (lower ISE) had higher pollution levels, partly explained by the concentration of advantaged schools (higher ISE) in rural areas and fewer in dense urban zones. The correlation was less pronounced, or even absent, when considering different types of environments, except for secondary schools in dense urban areas, which showed a significant correlation between a lower ISE and higher pollution levels. Our results also indicated that disadvantaged schools had lower vegetation coverage, even when accounting for different types of environments. In conclusion, our research highlights the importance of considering socioeconomic context in planning to ensure equitable access to environmental quality around schools.
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Citations
Guyot, M., Brulein, H., Lecat, A., & Vanwambeke, S. (2024). Environmental Quality around Schools: A Privilege for the Wealthy or a Right for All? Belgian Geographers Day 2024, Namur. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/240019