Citizen Science-Informed Community Master Planning: Land Use and Built Environment Changes to Increase Flood Resilience and Decrease Contaminant Exposure

Galen Newman, Tianqi Shi, Zhen Yao, Dongying Li, Garett Sansom, Katie Kirsch, Gaston Casillas and Jennifer Horney
Additional contact information
Galen Newman: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Tianqi Shi: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Zhen Yao: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Dongying Li: Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Garett Sansom: School of Public Health, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Katie Kirsch: School of Public Health, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Gaston Casillas: School of Public Health, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Jennifer Horney: Epidemiology Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Communities adjacent to concentrated areas of industrial land use (CAILU) are exposed to elevated levels of pollutants during flood disasters. Many CAILU are also characterized by insufficient infrastructure, poor environmental quality, and socially vulnerable populations. Manchester, TX is a marginalized CAILU neighborhood proximate to several petrochemical industrial sites that is prone to frequent flooding. Pollutants from stormwater runoff discharge from industrial land uses into residential areas have created increased toxicant exposures. Working with local organizations, centers/institutes, stakeholders, and residents, public health researchers sampled air, water, indoor dust, and outdoor soil while researchers from landscape architecture and urban planning applied these findings to develop a community-scaled master plan. The plan utilizes land use and built environment changes to increase flood resiliency and decrease exposure to contaminants. Using a combination of models to assess the performance, costs, and benefits of green infrastructure and pollutant load impacts, the master plan is projected to capture 147,456 cubic feet of runoff, and create $331,400 of annual green benefits by reducing air pollution and energy use, providing pollution treatment, increase carbon dioxide sequestration, and improve groundwater replenishment. Simultaneously, there is a 41% decrease across all analyzed pollutants, reducing exposure to and transferal of toxic materials.

Keywords: public health; green infrastructure; landscape performance; resilience; contamination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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