June 22, 2021 June 10th – now a federal holiday – commemorates the end of slavery in America. But the following historical events, which ushered in an era of Jim Crow laws and redlining across the country, have had a significant impact on our cities and towns and are reflected in our urban experience today. In many cities, people can tell when they have entered a low-income neighborhood. You can see this in the quality of the streets, the lack of grocery stores and, especially in areas outlined in red, in a higher proportion of colored people. Historical map of redlining in Phoenix, provided by the University of Richmond. Download full picture Here in the greater Phoenix area, too, such neighborhoods are characterized by a lack of trees, disinvestment in infrastructure and fatal health consequences. With Arizona having its hottest summer on record last year, identifying heat mitigation strategies and solutions is already a complex issue, and the long-term impact of racial redlining that will happen over the 20’s for black and low-income individuals based on the financial Risk of the region in which you want to live. Essentially, this process helped with active racial segregation during segregation. On the “Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America” website, a map of Phoenix shows how the boroughs of the city were categorized by lenders in 1940. The highlight is Section D4, which at the time was “very ragged, occupied by Mexicans, negroes, and the low class.” the whites ”. There’s no selling of property in here. ”In another section, the original cartographers wrote,“ There are some very good houses in the Negro section, considering they are inhabited by colored people. ”This map was made by ASU’s Knowledge Exchange for Resilience (KER) creates and superimposes historically outlined areas onto today’s Phoenix. It is based on a historical map of redlining in the city provided by the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab. While redlining is no longer legal, the legacy of this practice in Phoenix and across the country makes finding thermal equity solutions a priority. Very often the areas highlighted in red have had less infrastructure investment, fewer green spaces, and fewer resources overall, what caused these areas to be disproportionately affected by extreme heat. ASU researchers use geospatial data and partnerships to work towards heat equality for all people. Patricia Solis, executive director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience (KER) at Arizona State University Efforts across ASU and with community partners to address heat resistance. “It’s so slow and chronic and all over town; They see the storm coming and know exactly where it will strike. ”The Utility Assistance Network, led by Wildfire, an advocacy group working to end poverty, asked KER to investigate communities at risk in order to provide better services and ultimately save lives. Solis and her team began mapping and formulating a large data set. By linking heat-related deaths, government programs, refrigeration centers, utility bills and more, Solis found that people who live in RVs are disproportionately affected by extreme heat. “If you map it you can see it clearly,” said Solis. “… The type of apartment is important. Do you live in a single-family house or in a mobile home? An older motorhome? You can have the same income, but the structure of your home and the location in which you are located play a big role in determining your heat exposure . B. Construction and landscaping, are often exposed to excessive heat. People affected by homelessness are also particularly at risk. “There has been an increase in deaths from outdoor heat over the past year,” Solis said. “And if you look at the demographics, black men between the ages of 50 and 60 are extremely overrepresented among the homeless. There are also low-income immigrant communities or people who do not speak English as a first language and live in apartments that may not be heat-resistant. Native Americans here in Arizona are also very overrepresented on the health effects of heat. ”Many of the places where minority and disadvantaged communities live in Phoenix coincide with historic red-bordered neighborhoods that continue the legacy of divestment . This coincides with higher land surface temperatures due to differences in residential buildings and infrastructure. In Phoenix, areas that were historically outlined today experience some of the highest land surface temperatures in the city. Map courtesy of KER Exposure to higher temperatures in built-up areas may put you at greater risk of heat-related illness. According to Melissa Guardaro, assistant research professor at KER and co-leader of the Arizona Heat Preparedness and Resilience Workgroup (AHPRW), evidence of the link between socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and heat-related deaths in the Phoenix area is illustrated by the historical side effects of redlining. “Redlining has left a historic legacy of under-spending in the region,” Guardaro said. “You can just see it. … you can just drive through the different neighborhoods and see the difference between tree planting and public spaces for cooling. It can be clearly seen. ”Current heat-related illnesses (yellow) in the population (gray) who now live in the historic red-lined districts of Phoenix (red). Much of the Buckeye Road area has since been depopulated to the east due to the proximity of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Maricopa County Department of Public Health data, various years. AHPRW came about when de facto cooling centers and public spaces such as libraries, cinemas and community centers were abruptly closed during COVID-19. The group worked to open more refrigeration centers in the neighborhoods that needed it most. Using an optimization map, the team ties together factors such as age, socio-economic status, percentage of green spaces in the area, and past heat mortality and morbidity statistics to identify where the most vulnerable are. This process allows groups like the Arizona Faith Network to fill in the gaps to ensure that cooling centers and drinking stations are available. While this work is essential, Guardaro says public officials also have a role to play in taking a data-driven approach to prioritize adjustment programs for cooling, spending and heat reduction, ”Guardaro said. “And if you’re trying to reduce mortality and morbidity from deaths and heat, you’re spending disproportionately on communities that have fewer treetops, that rely on public transportation, and where kids who go to school don’t take the bus or transported. ”There are overlapping systems that contribute to the lack of thermal equity and hope for future reforms. “You have the housing system, the energy system, the infrastructure, the trees and then this historical legacy of redlining,” said Solis. “You not only have to solve the current problem, but also somehow overcome the disinvestment and, in some cases, the active lack of investment in the past.” Nevertheless, there is reason for hope in a very hot city, “said Guardaro. “We need to be really confident that we can overcome this and learn to live with the heat of the city while trying to reduce the number of deaths.” A card for investing in solutions such as infrastructure and housing improvements. By addressing current urban needs for the most vulnerable, a community can increase the potential to recover from some of the long-lasting effects of racial redlining. Written by Elise Miller, freelance journalist and activist
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