Neighborhood change at Love Canal: contamination, evacuation and resettlement

This paper examines neighborhood change at Love Canal since 1978 when it was discovered that hazardous waste had contaminated homes and schools in the area. It begins with an introduction and background to set the context for the case and the analysis. The following sections address the extent of contamination in various parts of the neighborhood as well as government activities to remediate the problem, including the evacuation of residents and the resettlements that followed. The research is based on archived files of the Love Canal Task Force, a body of the New York State Government (USA), which oversaw the remediation process.