Pallathadka A, Pallathadka L, Rao S, Chang H, Van Dommelen D. Using GIS-based spatial analysis to determine urban greenspace accessibility for different racial groups in the backdrop of COVID-19: a case study of four US cities.
GeoJournal 2022;
87:4879-4899. [PMID:
34744264 PMCID:
PMC8564283 DOI:
10.1007/s10708-021-10538-8]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED
As the United States leads COVID-19 cases on global charts, its spatial distribution pattern offers a unique opportunity for studying the social and ecological factors that contribute to the pandemic's scale and size. We use a GIS-data-based approach to evaluate four American cities-Anchorage (Alaska), Atlanta (Georgia), Phoenix (Arizona), and Portland (Oregon) characterized by the significant composition of different racial and ethnic group populations. Building upon previous studies that investigated urban spatial inequalities using the environmental justice framework, we examine: (1) the relative racial vulnerability of Census Block Groups (CBG) and ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) to COVID-19 (2) green space distribution at CBG and ZCTA scale. Using standard normalization methods, we ranked racial vulnerability against % available green space for each city. Our results highlight the legacy of past and present urban planning injustices. The project is useful from environmental justice, public health management, and urban planning perspectives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10708-021-10538-8.
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