Heavy industry, people, and planners: New insights on an old issue

protecting people from harm caused by nearby heavy industry is an old, and almost forgotten, goal of city planning. In this case study of Baron Rouge, Louisiana, I show that industrial pollution is a serious source of concern for nearby residents, who are disproportionately black. Analysis of factor s associated with concern about neighborhood safety indicates there is much that local planners can do, in cooperation with industry and state and fed eral regulators, to lessen fears about industrial land uses. These findings provide the foundation for a discussion of policy options that planners ca n apply in dealing with heavy industry, once they realize that industrial u ses are still a serious source of distress, particularly for poor and minor ity communities.