Abstract
Stormwater control measures (SCMs) (i.e., green infrastructure) are advantageous methods of stormwater management. However, studies suggest that urban greening may be associated with gentrification, displacing racially/ethnically minoritized groups due to increased housing costs and loss of feelings of belonging. We studied displacement of racially/ethnically minoritized groups after SCM installation in Washington, DC. We compared the change in percentage of persons in racial/ethnic groups at the Census block group level with varying levels of SCM installation (i.e., area-weighted SCM count at 300 m buffer). We stratified findings by SCM type, pre-installation income, and SCM size. DC installed a higher density of SCMs in areas with a higher percentage of Black and/or Hispanic/Latino residents. Nonetheless, findings suggest SCM installation is associated with displacement of Black residents. The percentage of residents who are Black decreased by 2.2% [95% Confidence Interval: 1.7, 2.7] and 4.1% [95% Confidence Interval: 3.4, 4.8] after low and high levels of SCM installation, respectively. In turn, the change in percentage of residents who are White increased with increasing levels of SCM installation. Compared to ecological studies on SCMs, studies about social impacts are scarce. This research intends to help optimize SCM installations so more residents can enjoy their health, economic, and ecological benefits.
Highlights
Published: 24 September 2021Impervious surfaces in urban areas often result in high peak flow rates of stormwater runoff and lead to problems such as stream bank erosion and flash floods [1,2,3]
We examined whether changes in race/ethnicity after Stormwater control measures (SCMs) installation differed by socio-economic status using a variable for pre-installation (T0) median annual household income
Our results show that SCM installation is associated with decreases in the percentage of the population that is Black and increases in the percentage that is White, which suggests the displacement of racially minoritized residents in DC
Summary
Published: 24 September 2021Impervious surfaces in urban areas often result in high peak flow rates of stormwater runoff and lead to problems such as stream bank erosion and flash floods [1,2,3]. Practices” [5] and include “Green Infrastructure” and “Green Stormwater Infrastructure”, which are structural forms of SCMs. SCMs function by increasing storage, promoting groundwater recharge, lowering peak flow rates, decreasing the volume, and improving the water quality of stormwater runoff [6,7]. In addition to advantages for stormwater management, SCMs may have benefits such as enhanced urban aesthetics and creation of jobs through construction and maintenance [8,9,10]. SCMs that include vegetation may have similar benefits to urban green space such as decreased mortality, improved mental health, improved air quality, and reduced urban heat island effect [8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16]
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