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In the Shade of Affluence: The Inequitable Distribution of the Urban Heat IslandThe urban heat island is an unintended consequence of humans building upon rural and native landscapes. We hypothesized that variations in vegetation and land use patterns across an urbanizing regional landscape would produce a temperature distribution that was spatially heterogeneous and correlated with the social characteristics of urban neighborhoods. Using biophysical and social data scaled to conform to US census geography, we found that affluent whites were more likely to live in vegetated and less climatically stressed neighborhoods likely to live in than low-income Latinos in Phoenix, Arizona. Affluent neighborhoods had cooler summer temperatures that reduced exposure to outdoor heat-related health risks, especially during a heat wave period. In addition to being warmer, poorer neighborhoods lacked critical resources in their physical and social environments to help them cope with extreme heat. Increased average temperatures due to climate change are expected to exacerbate the impacts of urban heat islands.
Document ID
20080014156
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Harlan, Sharon L.
(Arizona State Univ. AZ, United States)
Brazel, Anthony J.
Jenerette, G. Darrel
Jones, Nancy S.
Larsen, Larissa
Prashad, Lela
(Arizona State Univ. AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2008
Publication Information
Publication: Research in Social Problems and Public Policy
Publisher: Elsevier Science Publishers
Volume: 15
ISSN: 0196-1152
Subject Category
Social And Information Sciences (General)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF DEB 9421535
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF DEB 97114833
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF SES 0216281
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF DGE 9987612
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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