Abstract
Cities worldwide are incorporating green infrastructure to mitigate climate change and achieve health cobenefits. However, green infrastructure projects are often distributed inequitably based on race and class. Residents’ perspectives are necessary to develop and enact effective and equitable ‘green’ strategies to address climate change and its health impacts. This study reports findings from interviews and ethnographic observations with diverse residents of Detroit, Michigan, USA, who have experience with both green infrastructure projects and intense weather events (flooding). Residents expressed widespread support for green infrastructure solutions, while also sharing concerns about unintended health consequences from unsatisfactory governance of green spaces and climate change itself. Residents also held differing perspectives regarding their responsibility for, and capacity to enact, these solutions compared to businesses, city government, and nonprofit organizations. These findings illuminate key factors that city governments and partnering institutions should incorporate into planning processes with residents to achieve greater environmental justice through green infrastructure strategies to mitigate climate change and related health impacts.
Highlights
Cities worldwide are incorporating green infrastructure to mitigate climate change, and its associated human health impacts
Climate change facilitates the spread of some invasive insects and diseases to trees and other vegetation in urban areas, including emerald ash borer (EAB) which began its decimation of ash trees in Detroit, Michigan, and has since spread to several states [6]
Our study focuses on this definition because of its emphasis on green infrastructure as a mitigation strategy for stormwater management—a growing issue in urban communities like Detroit, Michigan
Summary
Cities worldwide are incorporating green infrastructure to mitigate climate change, and its associated human health impacts. Trees and vegetation can suffer damage during storms that can increase risk of injury or other harm to nearby human populations [5]. Climate change facilitates the spread of some invasive insects and diseases to trees and other vegetation in urban areas, including emerald ash borer (EAB) which began its decimation of ash trees in Detroit, Michigan, and has since spread to several states [6]. These circumstances undermine the ability of green infrastructure to mitigate climate change and improve the health of city residents
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