Project Overview

Using Urban Canopy Designs to Improve Air Quality and Public Health in Metropolitan Areas of the U.S.

Develop a national network of public health professionals, land use planners and urban foresters to conduct research on the role of urban forests in addressing challenges to environmental justice; and
To develop a spatially-explicit decision making tool for land managers to prioritize urban forestry campaigns within urban environments of the United States.

How do different canopy designs (type, composition, distribution and location of vegetation) improve air quality and reduce heat island formation in urban landscapes?
Which canopy designs are best for reducing the incidence of acute respiratory illness in neighborhood residents most exposed to air pollutants?
Which canopy designs are most promising for reducing health care costs to the United States?

Engage public health professionals, land use planners, and urban foresters (2011 - 2014)
Characterize vegetation and canopy designs across 13 cities in the United States (2012)
Establish an empirical relationship among canopy design and air quality and temperature (2013 - 2013)
Link vegetation patterns, health, and financial cost to society (2013 - 2014)
Conduct statistical analysis, validation of results, and model future scenarios in terms of health and cost (2014)
Develop a spatially explicit online tool for use by public health professionals, land use planners, and urban foresters (2014)

Figure 1: Percent Canopy Cover per block in Portland, Oregon using Fragstats analysis

Figure 2: Aggregation Index per block in Portland, Oregon, using Fragstats analysis