The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas

Jeremy Hoffman; Vivek Shandas; Nicholas Pendleton

doi:10.3390/cli8010012

journal article Open Access Jan 13, 2020

The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas

Jeremy Hoffman

Vivek Shandas Nicholas Pendleton

Climate Vol. 8 No. 1 pp. 12 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/cli8010012

Abstract

The increasing intensity, duration, and frequency of heat waves due to human-caused climate change puts historically underserved populations in a heightened state of precarity, as studies observe that vulnerable communities—especially those within urban areas in the United States—are disproportionately exposed to extreme heat. Lacking, however, are insights into fundamental questions about the role of historical housing policies in cauterizing current exposure to climate inequities like intra-urban heat. Here, we explore the relationship between “redlining”, or the historical practice of refusing home loans or insurance to whole neighborhoods based on a racially motivated perception of safety for investment, with present-day summertime intra-urban land surface temperature anomalies. Through a spatial analysis of 108 urban areas in the United States, we ask two questions: (1) how do historically redlined neighborhoods relate to current patterns of intra-urban heat? and (2) do these patterns vary by US Census Bureau region? Our results reveal that 94% of studied areas display consistent city-scale patterns of elevated land surface temperatures in formerly redlined areas relative to their non-redlined neighbors by as much as 7 °C. Regionally, Southeast and Western cities display the greatest differences while Midwest cities display the least. Nationally, land surface temperatures in redlined areas are approximately 2.6 °C warmer than in non-redlined areas. While these trends are partly attributable to the relative preponderance of impervious land cover to tree canopy in these areas, which we also examine, other factors may also be driving these differences. This study reveals that historical housing policies may, in fact, be directly responsible for disproportionate exposure to current heat events.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

61

[1]

Wong "Review of World Urban Heat Islands: Many Linked to Increased Mortality" Energy Resour. Technol. (2013) 10.1115/1.4023176

[2]

Mays "The 2003 Heat Wave in France: Dangerous Climate Change Here and Now" Risk Anal. (2005) 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2005.00694.x

[3]

Borden "Spatial patterns of natural hazards mortality in the United States" Int. J. Health Geogr. (2008) 10.1186/1476-072x-7-64

[4]

Hess "An evidence-based public health approach to climate change adaptation" Environ. Health Perspect. (2014) 10.1289/ehp.1307396

[5]

Uejio "Intra-urban societal vulnerability to extreme heat: The role of heat exposure and the built environment, socioeconomics, and neighborhood stability" Health Place (2011) 10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.12.005

[6]

Rising heat wave trends in large US cities

Dana Habeeb, Jason Vargo, Brian Stone

Natural Hazards 2015 10.1007/s11069-014-1563-z

[7]

Wang "Tens of thousands additional deaths annually in cities of China between 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C warming" Nat. Commun. (2019) 10.1038/s41467-019-11283-w

[8]

More Intense, More Frequent, and Longer Lasting Heat Waves in the 21st Century

Gerald A. Meehl, Claudia Tebaldi

Science 2004 10.1126/science.1098704

[9]

Santamouris "Analyzing the heat island magnitude and characteristics in one hundred Asian and Australian cities and regions" Sci. Total Environ. (2015) 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.060

[10]

Lo "Increasing mitigation ambition to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal avoids substantial heat-related mortality in U.S. cities" Sci. Adv. (2019) 10.1126/sciadv.aau4373

[11]

Voelkel "Developing High-Resolution Descriptions of Urban Heat Islands: A Public Health Imperative" Prev. Chronic Dis. (2016) 10.5888/pcd13.160099

[12]

Scale-dependent interactions between tree canopy cover and impervious surfaces reduce daytime urban heat during summer

Carly D. Ziter, Eric J. Pedersen, Christopher J. Kucharik et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2019 10.1073/pnas.1817561116

[13]

Integrating Satellite and Ground Measurements for Predicting Locations of Extreme Urban Heat

Vivek Shandas, Jackson Voelkel, Joseph Williams et al.

Climate 10.3390/cli7010005

[14]

Li "The surface urban heat island response to urban expansion: A panel analysis for the conterminous United States" Sci. Total Environ. (2017) 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.229

[15]

Li "Monitoring patterns of urban heat islands of the fast-growing Shanghai metropolis, China: Using time-series of Landsat TM/ETM+ data" Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. (2012)

[16]

Davis "Combined vegetation volume and “greenness” affect urban air temperature" Appl. Geogr. (2016) 10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.04.010

[17]

Jun "Effects of Two Urban Development Strategies on Changes in the Land Surface Temperature: Infill versus Suburban New Town Development" J. Urban Plann. Dev. (2017) 10.1061/(asce)up.1943-5444.0000396

[18]

Aram "Urban green space cooling effect in cities" Heliyon (2019) 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01339

[19]

Hamstead "Classification of the heterogeneous structure of urban landscapes (STURLA) as an indicator of landscape function applied to surface temperature in New York City" Ecol. Indic. (2016) 10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.10.014

[20]

Madrigano "A Case-Only Study of Vulnerability to Heat Wave–Related Mortality in New York City (2000–2011)" Environ. Health Perspect. (2015) 10.1289/ehp.1408178

[21]

Voelkel, J., Hellman, D., Sakuma, R., and Shandas, V. (2018). Assessing Vulnerability to Urban Heat: A Study of Disproportionate Heat Exposure and Access to Refuge by Socio-Demographic Status in Portland, Oregon. IJERPH, 15. 10.3390/ijerph15040640

[22]

Whitman "Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave" Am. J. Public Health (1997) 10.2105/ajph.87.9.1515

[23]

Aaronson, D., Hartley, D., and Mazumder, B. (2017). The Effects of the 1930s HOLC “Redlining” Maps. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Working Paper No. 2017-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

[24]

Mitchell, B., and Franco, J. (2018). HOLC “Redlining” Maps: The Persistent Structure of Segregation and Economic Inequality, National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

[25]

Lipsitz, G. (2011). How Racism Takes Place, Temple University Press.

[26]

Nowak "Declining urban and community tree cover in the United States" Urban For. Urban Green. (2018) 10.1016/j.ufug.2018.03.006

[27]

Schwarz, K., Fragkias, M., Boone, C.G., Zhou, W., McHale, M., Grove, J.M., O’Neil-Dunne, J., McFadden, J.P., Buckley, G.L., and Childers, D. (2015). Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice. PLoS ONE, 10. 10.1371/journal.pone.0122051

[28]

Nardone "Historic Redlining and Asthma Exacerbations across Eight Cities of California: A Foray into How Historic Maps Are Associated with Asthma Risk" Am. J. Resp. Crit. Care Med (2019)

[29]

Nelson, R.K., Winling, L., Marciano, R., and Connolly, N. (2017, October 09). Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America. Available online: https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/.

[30]

Avdan "Algorithm for Automated Mapping of Land Surface Temperature Using LANDSAT 8 Satellite Data" J. Sens. (2016) 10.1155/2016/1480307

[31]

Cook "Development of an Operational Calibration Methodology for the Landsat Thermal Data Archive and Initial Testing of the Atmospheric Compensation Component of a Land Surface Temperature (LST) Product from the Archive" Remote Sens. (2014) 10.3390/rs61111244

[32]

Sheng "Comparison of the urban heat island intensity quantified by using air temperature and Landsat land surface temperature in Hangzhou, China" Ecol. Indic. (2017) 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.09.009

[33]

Brines "Validating Satellite-Derived Land Surface Temperature with in situ Measurements: A Public Health Perspective" Environ. Health Perspect. (2013) 10.1289/ehp.1206176

[34]

Yang "An approach for mapping large-area impervious surfaces: Synergistic use of Landsat-7 ETM+ and high spatial resolution imagery" Can. J. Remote Sens. (2014) 10.5589/m02-098

[35]

Coulston "Modeling percent tree canopy cover: A pilot study" Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens. (2012) 10.14358/pers.78.7.715

[36]

Homer "Completion of the 2011 National Land Cover Database for the conterminous United States—Representing a decade of land cover change information" Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens. (2015)

[37]

Local Climate Zones for Urban Temperature Studies

I. D. Stewart, T. R. Oke

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 2012 10.1175/bams-d-11-00019.1

[38]

Murage, P., Hajat, S., and Kovats, R.S. (2017). Effect of night-time temperatures on cause and age-specific mortality in London. Environ. Epidemiol., 1. 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000005

[39]

Hirsch, A. (1983). Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago, 1940–1960, Cambridge University Press.

[40]

Teaford, J.C. (1990). The Rough Road to Renaissance: Urban Revitalization in America, 1940–1985, Johns Hopkins University Press. 10.56021/9780801839719

[41]

Sugrue, T.J. (1996). The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit, Princeton University Press.

[42]

DiMento "Stent (or Dagger?) in the Heart of Town: Urban Freeways in Syracuse, 1944–1967" J. Plan. Hist. (2009) 10.1177/1538513208330768

[43]

Swaid "Numerical investigation into the influence of geometry and construction materials on urban street climate" Phys. Geogr. (2013) 10.1080/02723646.1993.10642484

[44]

Zuk "Gentrification, Displacement, and the Role of Public Investment" J. Plan. Lit. (2017) 10.1177/0885412217716439

[45]

Kim "Urban heat island" Int. J. Remote Sens. (1992) 10.1080/01431169208904271

[46]

Hall, J.P. (2009). The Early Developmental History of Concrete Block in America, Ball State University Library.

[47]

Howard "Spatial distribution of urban building energy consumption by end use" Energy Build. (2012) 10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.10.061

[48]

"A century of sprawl in the United States" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (2015) 10.1073/pnas.1504033112

[49]

Anderson, M. (2019, October 14). In Mid-Density Zones, Portland Has a Choice: Garages or Low Prices?. Available online: https://www.sightline.org/2019/10/02/in-mid-density-zones-portland-has-a-choice-garages-or-low-prices/.

[50]

(2019, October 14). Better Housing by Design, Available online: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/71903.

Showing 50 of 61 references

Cited By

630

Geography of race and income shape spatial data gaps in two national participatory science projects

Deja Perkins, Dillon Mahmoudi · 2026

People and Nature

Multihazard exposure and environmental injustice: The correlation between air pollution and heat drives socioeconomic inequities

Daniel T. O’Brien, Joshua Rosen · 2026

Environment and Planning B: Urban A...

Vulnerability outpaces climate worry in US frontline communities

Jennifer Carman, Emily Goddard · 2026

One Earth

Effects of extreme heat on physiology, morbidity, and mortality under climate change: mechanisms and clinical implications

Jiayu Xu, Qiong Wang · 2025

BMJ

Impact of Heat on Respiratory Hospitalizations among Older Adults in 120 Large U.S. Urban Areas

Cassandra R. O’Lenick, Stephanie E. Cleland · 2025

Annals of the American Thoracic Soc...

Recent Findings and Methodologies in Economics Research in Environmental Justice

Lucas Cain, Danae Hernandez-Cortes · 2024

Review of Environmental Economics a...

What has Contributed to Green Space Inequities in U.S. Cities? A Narrative Review

Rexford Osei Owusu, Alessandro Rigolon · 2024

Journal of Planning Literature

Antiracist Research and Practice for Environmental Health: Implications for Community Engagement

Donele Wilkins, Amy J. Schulz · 2023

Environmental Health Perspectives

Critical physical geographies of air, atmosphere, and climate

Alex R Colucci, Daniel J Vecellio · 2023

Progress in Environmental Geography

The Built Environment and Pediatric Health

Aparna Bole, Aaron Bernstein · 2023

Pediatrics

A framework to centre justice in energy transition innovations

Patricia Romero-Lankao, Nicole Rosner · 2023

Nature Energy

Informing Nature‐based Climate Solutions for the United States with the best‐available science

Kimberly A. Novick, Stefan Metzger · 2022

Global Change Biology

Moving social work from international social work to global social work through aligning SDG principles and social work education standards

Susan Mapp, Shirley Gatenio Gabel · 2022

Social Work Education

Urbanization Impact on Regional Climate and Extreme Weather: Current Understanding, Uncertainties, and Future Research Directions

Yun Qian, T. C. Chakraborty · 2022

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Health outcomes in redlined versus non-redlined neighborhoods: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Eun Kyung Lee, Gwendolyn Donley · 2022

Social Science & Medicine

The dermatological manifestations of extreme weather events: A comprehensive review of skin disease and vulnerability

Eva Rawlings Parker, Jessica Mo · 2022

The Journal of Climate Change and H...

Historical redlining and food environments: A study of 102 urban areas in the United States

Faxi Yuan · 2022

Health & Place

Climate change adaptation to extreme heat: a global systematic review of implemented action

Lynée L Turek-Hankins, Erin Coughlan de Perez · 2021

Oxford Open Climate Change

The legacy of structural racism: Associations between historic redlining, current mortgage lending, and health

Emily E. Lynch, Lorraine Halinka Malcoe · 2021

SSM - Population Health

The driving influences of human perception to extreme heat: A scoping review

Alisa L. Hass, Jennifer D. Runkle · 2021

Environmental Research

Metrics

630

Citations

61

References

Details

Published: Jan 13, 2020
Vol/Issue: 8(1)
Pages: 12
License: View

Authors

J

Jeremy Hoffman

Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23220, USA; Center for Environmental Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23220, USA

V

Vivek Shandas

Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA

N

Nicholas Pendleton

Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23220, USA; Center for Environmental Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23220, USA

Cite This Article

Jeremy Hoffman, Vivek Shandas, Nicholas Pendleton (2020). The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas. Climate, 8(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli8010012

The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas

You May Also Like