LUCHA was initiated to preserve, protect, and enhance working-class communities of color by addressing the environmental, economic, health, and cultural impacts of zoning and land use planning.  Zoning and land use planning have been described by some scholars not only as a root cause of disproportionate burdens and environmental injustice, but also as one of the most powerful uses of legal weapons deployed in racism.  The history of land use planning and zoning in Austin helps paint a picture of how the unequal distribution of economic and environmental burdens has occurred and why these historical patterns have been the source of many injustices confronting lower-income communities of color in East Austin.