Thread by @meehanmonster

Washing your hands is difficult w/out piped water. In our latest research, published in PNAS, we map the social geography of #plumbingpoverty in 50 U.S. cities. Hint: it has everything to do with racialized wealth gaps. Buckle up for a thread.

pnas.org/content/early/…

"We find that, in the United States, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, an estimated 1,121,100 people (±25,500 margin of error) lacked a household piped water connection between 2013 and 2017—a population roughly the size of San José, California."

We ask: Who (and where) is left behind in the promise of universal water provision? We take the central lesson of Flint—that certain populations are being left behind in water provision—and 'plumb' infrastructural inequality in the top 50 largest US metro areas.

We introduce the housing–water nexus as a way to understand the entrenched nature of urban water insecurity. Household water insecurity is a relational condition that is produced, in part, by racialized wealth gaps that are expressed through the unequal geographies of HOUSING.

In contrast to Flint—a city with struggling finances—we find that some of the most affluent cities in the United States have the highest % of plumbing poverty. Out of the 50 largest metros, San Francisco has the highest % of HH and individuals without piped water (0.9%, ±0.1%).

Followed by Portland (Oregon), Milwaukee, San Antonio, and Austin. I see you, Portland--and I don't like what I see.

What does our model add to the mix? First: geography. Instead of measuring just households, we also gauge the geographic environment of #plumbingpoverty, namely income equality, (un)affordability, and segregation. B/c in part we are where we live.

Second: maps. God I love this map. Why? It reduces spatial bias, incorporates sampling error, and improves interpretation of geographic data through principles of universal map design and appropriate colorway schemes.

Our study reveals persistent disparities in piped water access in urban areas in the United States. We offer evidence that gaps in urban water provision are created at the juncture of housing and water sectors: a paradigm we call the housing–water nexus.

Here comes the scary part: our estimates of plumbing poverty are likely conservative. The US Census Bureau routinely undercounts renters, people experiencing homelessness, and people of color—demographics that are disproportionately plumbing poor.

Given the undercount issues, a more likely scenario is that 2 million people in the United States regularly lack piped water—a population size greater than the nation’s capital.

And things are not getting better. Looking forward, based on our model, we expect plumbing poverty to stagnate or worsen in U.S. cities. Why? More renters, financialized landlords, widening wealth gaps, & increasingly unaffordable housing.

This paper was HARD work. I give thanks to my team--@JasonJurjevich, Nick MJW Chun, Justin Sherrill--who brought rigor and brilliance; and to all the other comrades who've worked on the #plumbingpoverty project (@shiloh_deitz @valeriamerazc Veronica & Marianne).

Thanks also to the brilliant people of @HWISE_RCN who we cite like crazy--you should cite them, too. Pass this paper around; it's open access. Give it to your newly elected representative. Give it to your mom. Let's turn this dumpster fire around. //END