Assessing the Sociospatial Inequities in Green Roof Siting for Reduced Cooling Loads During Heat Waves in Detroit, MI

green roof;energy justice;green building;sustainability analysis;School for Environment and Sustainability

Sanchez Siegel, Linona, na ;

University of Michigan

关键词: green roof;    energy justice;    green building;    sustainability analysis;    School for Environment and Sustainability;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/143168/Sanchez_Lino_Thesis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Countless studies have been carried out that have quantified the ecosystem services of greeninfrastructure for both public and environmental health. This study aimed to evaluateaccessibility to the cooling benefits of green roofs in Detroit, MI, for low-income marginalizedcommunities, compared to the City’s current heat relief system of designated cooling centers.Regions of the city were evaluated for their vulnerability to the urban heat island effect, whichcan be alleviated by green roofs due to raised surface albedo and evaporative cooling. Spatialdata regarding land surface temperature, income, and race were used to locate where greenroof ecosystem services are most needed and how communities within these regions arecategorized demographically. Green roof efforts were mapped to determine whether siting hasbeen based on where ecosystem services are most needed and how socioeconomic factorsmight influence the locations of urban heat island-mitigating green infrastructure. Analysis ofthe spatial data observed in this study revealed that most low-income residents are withinwalking distance from cooling centers, but not included in the Detroit Future Cities greenspacezone, while green roofs specifically were in the affluent part of Detroit;;s core, where thepopulation is predominantly white. Beyond these findings, pertaining specifically to Detroit, themethodology employed here shows potential for application to other city’s urban greeningplans.