The social and spatial distribution of temperature-related health impacts from urban heat island reduction policies

Jason Vargo, Brian Stone, Dana Habeeb, Peng Liu and Armistead Russell

Environmental Science & Policy, 2016, vol. 66, issue C, 366-374

Abstract: Cities are developing innovative strategies to combat climate change but there remains little knowledge of the winners and losers from climate-adaptive land use planning and design. We examine the distribution of health benefits associated with land use policies designed to increase vegetation and surface reflectivity in three US metropolitan areas: Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, and Phoenix, AZ. Projections of population and land cover at the census tract scale were combined with climate models for the year 2050 at 4km×4km resolution to produce future summer temperatures which were input into a comparative risk assessment framework for the temperature-mortality relationship. The findings suggest disparities in the effectiveness of urban heat management strategies by age, income, and race. We conclude that, to be most protective of human health, urban heat management must prioritize areas of greatest population vulnerability.

Keywords: Urban heat island; Climate change; Urban adaptation; Green area ratio; Heat-related mortality; Climate justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enscpo:v:66:y:2016:i:c:p:366-374

DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2016.08.012

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