First name: Makenzie
Last name: Birkey
Class Year: 2024
Advisor: Xuhui Lee
Essay Abstract:
This research looks to explore the relationship in New Haven, CT between “redlining”, a discriminatory housing practice enacted in 1934 by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) and current exposure to climate-related health risks, defined as extreme heat, lower prevalence of green space, and increased air pollution concentrations. Exposure to these risks will grow as climate change worsens and will not be evenly distributed across communities. Through a spatial analysis of Landsat satellite imagery, datasets of urban trees and air pollution, and demographic data, this research looks to understand the following question: To what extent do unfavorable HOLC designations predict higher present-day exposure to climate-related health risks in New Haven neighborhoods? Results of this investigation reveal that unfavorable HOLC designations generally correlate to higher exposure to climate-related health risks. Land surface temperature values are higher by an average of 1.8ºC in redlined neighborhoods than insurrounding non-redlined areas, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a quantitative measure of green space, is lower by 0.108. Pollution levels are not clearly correlated.It is necessary to understand the historical forces driving modern climate risk disparities to bolster environmental justice, direct urban planning, and enact policies to mitigate such adverse effects.