Segregation and exposure to the urban heat island effect in 20 U.S. cities.

What is it about?

A combination of the urban heat island effect and a rising temperature baseline resulting from global climate change inequitably impacts socially vulnerable populations residing in urban areas. This article examines racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in the spatial distribution of exposure to urban heat in the context of climate justice and residential segregation in the U.S. Twenty of the largest cities in the U.S. are selected and analysed using census tract-level socio-demographic data from the U.S. Census. Multilevel modelling is utilised to examine the statistical associations between urban heat, minority status, socioeconomic disadvantage, and MSA-level segregation of racial/ethnic minority groups. Variables representing socioeconomic status (i.e. household income, home ownership, and education level) are consistently and significantly associated with greater urban heat exposure. Minority status and measures of segregation have a significant but varied relationship with urban heat exposure, indicating that there are inconsistent associations with urban heat due to differing social geographies. Urban heat and social vulnerability present a varying landscape of thermal inequity in different metropolitan areas, associated in many cases with residential segregation.

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Why is it important?

The findings indicate significant associations between increased urban heat exposure and lower socioeconomic status, an indicator of social vulnerability. Exposure to the risk of urban heat for minority communities varies from city to city. Multilevel modelling is used to assess relationships between segregation at the MSA level, and tract level socio-economic and demographic variables and urban heat as measured by a urban heat risk index.

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