Final answer:
Racial discrimination has had a significant impact on urban sprawl and its environmentally destructive consequences. Minorities faced discrimination in housing, job opportunities, and treatment by police forces, leading to overcrowded and poorly built housing projects. Urban renewal efforts often resulted in the destruction of neighborhoods and the construction of highways. Racial discrimination has also led to environmental disparities, such as lead poisoning and proximity to hazardous waste facilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Racial discrimination played a significant role in urban sprawl and its negative environmental impacts. Minority groups, such as African Americans and Mexican Americans, faced discrimination in areas such as housing, job opportunities, and equal treatment by police forces. As a result, they were often confined to overcrowded and poorly built public housing projects, while being displaced from their homes and neighborhoods. This, in turn, led to the development of segregated and crime-ridden urban areas. Additionally, urban renewal efforts, intended to address these issues, often resulted in the destruction of neighborhoods and the construction of highways that cut off communities and affected businesses.
Furthermore, racial discrimination has also had significant environmental implications. Research has shown that African American children are more likely to suffer from lead poisoning and reside in areas with hazardous waste facilities. This environmental racism is a result of race being more important than socioeconomic status in predicting the location of the nation's commercial hazardous waste facilities. The long-term cleanup of environmental disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, also raises questions about how environmental racism is addressed.