CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Kecskes, Mariska Theresa |
|---|---|
| Title | An urban forest for all: Using GIS technology to analyze the equity of the urban forest in Seattle, WA, USA |
| Summary | A growing abundance of research continues to detail the positive effects urban forests have on social structures, public safety, health, and city infrastructure. As such, many cities are proactively investing in urban forestry. This paper is a case study of the urban forest in Seattle, WA, USA, a city that has both heavily invested in its urban forestry, while remaining economically and racially segregated. The primary aim of this study is to analyse the distribution of Seattle’s urban forest in light of income and race of Seattle residents. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to combine census data with city datasets of the urban forest. Multiple urban forest features were analysed, including (a) average number of parks and area available within a quarter mile of different demographics (b) average number of residential trees, and (c) average percent canopy cover. Descriptive statistics were done to analyse the extent to which there was a difference in access between different economic and racial groups in Seattle. Ultimately, canopy cover and residential trees showed the most significant discrepancies, primarily in regards to income and concentration of Asian residents, with higher income and lower concentrations of Asian residents having greater accesses to urban trees. The study concludes with a deeper analysis into the potential drivers behind the results and draws from interviews to explore the ways in which the City of Seattle is currently integrating equity concerns into its urban forestry work. |
| Supervisor | Viktor Lagutov |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/kecskes_mariska.pdf |
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