Urban trees, air quality, and asthma: An interdisciplinary review

Eisenman, Theodore S.; Churkinа, Galina; Jariwala, Sunit; Kumar, Prashant; Lovasi, Gina S.; Pataki, Diane E.; Weinberger, Kate R.; Whitlow, Thomas H.

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.010

Cited by 193 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 149 publications

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“…For example, tree canopy cover in Seattle, WA in formerly A-graded neighborhoods is generally greater than in formerly D-graded neighborhoods (Figure 2), but the differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.093). Moreover, the two areas with the highest percent of tree canopy cover in Seattle were While urban trees mitigate urban heat island effects, it is important to acknowledge that trees can produce disservices (55,56). Not everyone wants trees, so their absence may be a desired condition for some residents (57)(58)(59)(60)(61).…”

Section: Results Of Further Tests and Robustness Checksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residential housing segregation and urban tree canopy in 37 US Cities

Locke

Hall

Grove

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Redlining was a racially discriminatory housing policy established by the federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) during the 1930s. For decades, redlining limited access to homeownership and wealth creation among racial minorities, contributing to a host of adverse social outcomes, including high unemployment, poverty, and residential vacancy, that persist today. While the multigenerational socioeconomic impacts of redlining are increasingly understood, the impacts on urban environments and ecosystems remains unclear. To begin to address this gap, we investigated how the HOLC policy administered 80 years ago may relate to present-day tree canopy at the neighborhood level. Urban trees provide many ecosystem services, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and may improve quality of life in cities. In our prior research in Baltimore, MD, we discovered that redlining policy influenced the location and allocation of trees and parks. Our analysis of 37 metropolitan areas here shows that areas formerly graded D, which were mostly inhabited by racial and ethnic minorities, have on average ~23% tree canopy cover today. Areas formerly graded A, characterized by U.S.-born white populations living in newer housing stock, had nearly twice as much tree canopy (~43%). Results are consistent across small and large metropolitan regions. The ranking system used by Home Owners’ Loan Corporation to assess loan risk in the 1930s parallels the rank order of average percent tree canopy cover today.

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Section: Results Of Further Tests and Robustness Checksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residential housing segregation and urban tree canopy in 37 US Cities

Locke

Hall

Grove

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Eisenman et al 153 An interdisciplinary review on urban trees, air pollution and asthma. Found no scientific consensus that urban trees reduce asthma, and that different disciplines follow divergent approaches to the research topic.…”

Section: Authors Ref Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

2020

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Vegetation can form a barrier between traffic emissions and adjacent areas, but the optimal configuration and plant composition of such green infrastructure (GI) are currently unclear. We examined the literature on aspects of GI that influence ambient air quality, with a particular focus on vegetation barriers in open-road environments. Findings were critically evaluated in order to identify principles for effective barrier design, and recommendations regarding plant selection were established with reference to relevant spatial scales. As an initial investigation into viable species for UK urban GI, we compiled data on 12 influential traits for 61 tree species, and created a supplementary plant selection framework. We found that if the scale of the intervention, the context and conditions of the site and the target air pollutant type are appreciated, the selection of plants that exhibit certain biophysical traits can enhance air pollution mitigation. For super-micrometre particles, advantageous leaf micromorphological traits include the presence of trichomes and ridges or grooves. Stomatal characteristics are more significant for sub-micrometre particle and gaseous pollutant uptake, although we found a comparative dearth of studies into such pollutants. Generally advantageous macromorphological traits include small leaf size and high leaf complexity, but optimal vegetation height, form and density depend on planting configuration with respect to the immediate physical environment. Biogenic volatile organic compound and pollen emissions can be minimised by appropriate species selection, although their significance varies with scale and context. While this review assembled evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, several important areas for future research were identified.

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“…Air pollution in urban areas has drawn significant attention from researchers, urban planners and policy makers due to the rapid increase in industrial, transportation and construction activities leading to degraded air quality. This deterioration in air quality has been shown to adversely affect human health and the environment in urban cities (Eisenmana et al, 2019). Several mitigation measures have been proposed to improve urban air quality including green vegetation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees in Desert Regions

Isaifan

Baldauf

2020

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Trees in urban areas have a significant impact on air quality and other environmental issues. Trees can affect the concentration of air pollutants that we breathe in by directly removing pollutants or avoiding emissions and secondary pollutant formation in the atmosphere. In addition, trees have other benefits including increasing property value, intercepting storm water runoff, and saving energy needed for cooling of buildings in hot seasons. In this work, we estimate economic and environmental benefits of three tree species typical for desert regions such as Acacia tortilis, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Phoenix dactylifera. The benefits varied by species with Acacia tortilis having the highest overall benefits, mostly because of its large leaf surface area and canopy shape. Tree benefits from carbon reduction reached up to US $14 billion annually. Mature trees tended to be more beneficial than smaller trees for improving environmental conditions. The location of trees had minimal impact on the overall economic value. This assessment provides urban planners, foresters, and developers in desert regions with the information needed to make informed decisions on the economic and environmental benefits of urban tree planting.

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Urban trees, air quality, and asthma: An interdisciplinary review

Cited by 193 publications

References 149 publications

Residential housing segregation and urban tree canopy in 37 US Cities

Residential housing segregation and urban tree canopy in 37 US Cities

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

Estimating Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees in Desert Regions

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