City Of Philadelphia Research Articles

An Analysis of Neighborhood Characteristics Associated with Single-Victim, Multi-Victim, and Mass Shootings

ABSTRACT Despite the growing prevalence of mass shootings, scarce research has examined their relationships with neighborhood-level attributes such as sociodemographic or environmental characteristics. This study used negative binomial regression models to examine and compare how sociodemographic factors and the built environment were associated with neighborhood counts of single, double, triple, and mass shootings in the city of Philadelphia, PA during a six-year period (2018–2023). Effects varied both within and between predictors across models. The results demonstrate that neighborhood-level characteristics associated with mass shootings may diverge from those related to other shootings, deviating in some cases from the extant gun violence research.

Associations between neighborhood factors and insomnia and their spatial clustering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

BackgroundNeighborhood-level adverse social determinants may be a risk factor for sleep health disparities. We examined the associations between neighborhood factors and insomnia and explored their spatial clustering in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from Philadelphia residents who participated in online screening for insomnia-related research. Participants self-reported sex, age, body mass index, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and insomnia symptoms. The sample was stratified as “No Insomnia” (≤7) and “Insomnia” (>7) based on the Insomnia Severity Index (range: 0-28). Neighborhood and participant data were merged using geospatial techniques. Multiple regression models and geospatial analysis were used to identify neighborhood variables that are associated with insomnia and their spatial distribution. ResultsThe sample (N = 350) was predominantly female (53%), middle-aged (40.8 ± 13.8), overweight (body mass index=26.1 ± 5.54), and 53.7% had insomnia. The insomnia group had significantly higher depression scores (14.6 ± 5.5), a large percentage had anxiety (64.4%) and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (31.9%), and largely resided in high crime (p < .001) and highly deprived neighborhoods (p = .034). Within the insomnia group, a 1-point increase in the number of spiritual centers in the neighborhood was associated with lower insomnia symptoms (b=−1.02, p = .002), while a 1-point increase in depression scores (b=0.44, p < .001) and residence in a highly deprived neighborhood (b=1.49, p = .021) was associated with greater insomnia. ConclusionDisparities exist in the neighborhood determinants of insomnia and their spatial distribution in Philadelphia. Interventions targeting the spatial distribution of adverse social determinants may improve insomnia disparities.

Land use regression model to predict nitrogen dioxide in the greater Philadelphia area

Because of greater concern of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution for urban residents, monitoring efforts are typically focused in urban areas. However, large populations in suburban areas near urban centers may also experience elevated NO2 levels. This study focuses on the application of a land use regression (LUR) model to predict NO2 pollution in the suburban and urban areas around the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Air pollutant measurements used for the LUR was obtained from Ogawa™ passive samplers, which were deployed at several sites (n = 15) throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Passive samplers were deployed for two weeks each during the fall, winter, and spring months between 2021 and 2022. Predictor data included various spatial buffers of land use, landcover, and traffic counts, as well as distances to various roadway types. The best LUR model based on regression statistics (F-statistic with 4 and 10 degrees of freedom = 5.111, p < 0.05) showed that mean NO2 concentrations increase within a 1000m buffer of annual average daily traffic. The model shows a patchwork of NO2 concentrations throughout the study area that could indicate regional and local emissions. The results highlight spatial variations of elevated concentrations influenced by a mix of land use, including roads, residential, and industrial areas.

Consumption responses to sweetened beverage taxes by household income in four U.S. cities.

Taxes on sweetened beverages have become an important policy response to growing obesity rates and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the U.S. and other nations. Since 2015, eight U.S. cities have implemented these taxes, but so far direct evidence of their impacts on household purchasing behavior is scarce. Of particular interest to many researchers and policy makers is the response of lower-income consumers to these taxes, both because they have higher sweetened beverage consumption on average and because of concerns that sweetened beverage taxes are regressive. This project investigates the income-stratified household response to SSB taxes using a data set containing the purchasing behavior of approximately 400 households in the cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, and Philadelphia, all of which have recently introduced beverage taxes. Using doubly-robust estimation of dynamic and heterogeneous treatment effects relative to a propensity-matched set of households in three comparison cities, we find that households in taxed cities experience increased prices and reduce their purchases of those beverages, with no evidence of cross-border shopping. We further find differential tax impacts by income level, with lower-income households (households with income <200% of the federal poverty line for their size) reducing their purchases of taxed beverages by nearly 50% - more than double the 18% reduction found in higher-income households (households with income >400% of the federal poverty line for their size). Our finding that lower-income households decrease their consumption more than twice as much as higher-income households suggests that these taxes may reduce health disparities and promote population health.

Abstract A134: Overcoming barriers to prostate cancer screening: A tethered educational video and mobile screening program

Abstract Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. One in 8 White and 1 in 6 Black men will be diagnosed with PC in their lifetime. The current prostate cancer screening (PCS) guidelines recommend shared decision making to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PCS. In Philadelphia, among men over 40 years of age, only 39% and 18% have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of PCS with a provider, respectively. Among men over 50 years of age, only 47% have had a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. This research evaluated an educational video designed to increase awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of PCS and provided access to mobile PSA screening among the diverse men in Philadelphia. Methods: Between April-May 2024, we enrolled men aged 40+ at community events within and around the city of Philadelphia and excluded men who previously participated in the study. Screening events were advertised through social media, printed flyers, emails, and text messages disseminated by labor union administrators to union members. Participants completed a questionnaire which examined PC and PCS knowledge, decisional conflict, and likelihood to screen before and after viewing a 12-minute educational video on an iPad or personal device. The video consisted of a conversation between a local pastor, who is a Black PC survivor, and a urologist. The video included the pastor’s personal experience with PC and allowed him and the urologist to have the opportunity to address common PC misconceptions and myths. After the video, participants provided video feedback. A $10 gift card and giveaways were offered before presenting the option for on-site PSA draws by a licensed phlebotomist. Results: A total of 133 men (38% Black; 56% White, 10% Hispanic; mean age of 53 years old (s.d.=10.4)) completed the pre and post questionnaires. A total of 61% of participants had never had a PSA test. Twenty-two percent did not know blood testing was an option, and 28% did not know they needed a PSA test. Thirty-two percent of participants would have been somewhat or very unlikely to get screened without this program. Having the screening option come to their community or place of work was the determining factor for 81% of screened participants. After watching the video, PC knowledge improved in 6 of 10 items (overall knowledge score pre vs. post p&amp;lt;.01). Post video, decisional conflict was reduced in 9 of the 10 questionnaire items (each item had a p≤.001). A total of 95% of participants stated ‘yes’, they would undergo PCS after watching the video versus 69% being either somewhat or very likely to get screened before watching the video (p&amp;lt;0.001). All 95% were screened on-site. The video information was deemed useful to 99% and credible by 97% of respondents. Conclusion: This educational video increased PCS awareness, intention to screen for PC, and completion of PCS. When coupled with an educational video, mobile PSA screening initiatives are an effective and efficient way to increase access to PSA screening for diverse men. Citation Format: Mallorie C. Jones, William Buckley, Alexandra Cordoba, Suji Kim, David Barreto, Debanjan Pain, Vivian Nguyen, Blane Newberry, Daniel Lee, Carmen E. Guerra. Overcoming barriers to prostate cancer screening: A tethered educational video and mobile screening program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A134.

High-resolution urban climate simulations for heat and health applications in Philadelphia

Stakeholders need high-resolution urban climate information for city planning and adaptation to climate risks. Climate models have too coarse a spatial resolution to properly represent cities at the relevant scale, and downscaled products often fail to account for urban effects. We propose here a methodological framework for producing high-resolution urban databases that are used to drive the SURFEX-TEB land surface and urban canopy models. A historical simulation is carried out over the period 1991–2020, based on a reanalysis of the city of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA). The simulation is compared with observations outside and inside the city, as well as with a field campaign. The results show good agreement between the model and observations, with average summer biases of only −1 °C and + 0.8 °C for daily minimum and maximum temperatures outside the city, and almost none inside. The simulation is used to calculate the maximum daily heat index (HIX) and to study emergency heat alerts. The HIX is slightly overestimated and, consequently, the model simulates too many heat events if not bias corrected. Overall, HIX conditions at Philadelphia International Airport are found to be suitable proxies for city-wide summer conditions, and therefore are appropriate to use for emergency heat declarations.

Getting the Race Wrong: A Case Study of Sampling Bias and Black Voters in Online, Opt-In Polls

Abstract Researchers are increasingly reliant on online, opt-in surveys. But prior benchmarking exercises employ national samples, making it unclear whether such surveys can effectively represent Black respondents and other minorities nationwide. This paper presents the results of uncompensated online and in-person surveys administered chiefly in one racially diverse American city—Philadelphia—during its 2023 mayoral primary. The participation rate for online surveys promoted via Facebook and Instagram was .4%, with White residents and those with college degrees more likely to respond. Such biases help explain why neither our surveys nor public polls correctly identified the Democratic primary’s winner, an establishment-backed Black Democrat. Even weighted, geographically stratified online surveys typically underestimate the winner’s support, although an in-person exit poll does not. We identify some similar patterns in Chicago. These results indicate important gaps in the populations represented in contemporary opt-in surveys and suggest that alternative survey modes help reduce them.

Spatial Analysis of Intra-Urban Air Pollution Disparities through an Environmental Justice Lens: A Case Study of Philadelphia, PA

Urban air pollution has been long understood as a critical threat to human health worldwide. Worsening urban air quality can cause increased rates of asthma, respiratory illnesses, and mortality. Air pollution is also an important environmental justice issue as it disproportionately burdens populations made vulnerable by their socioeconomic and health status. Using spatially continuous fine-scale air quality data for the city of Philadelphia, this study analyzed the relationship between two air pollutants: particulate matter (PM2.5, black carbon (BC), and three dimensions of vulnerability: social (non-White population), economic (poverty), and health outcomes (asthma prevalence). Spatial autoregressive models outperformed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, indicating the importance of considering spatial autocorrelation in air pollution-related environmental-justice modeling efforts. Positive relationships were observed between PM2.5 concentrations and the socioeconomic variables and asthma prevalence. Percent non-White population was a significant predictor of BC for all models, while percent poverty was shown to not be a significant predictor of BC in the best fitting model. Our findings underscore the presence of distributive environmental injustices, where marginalized communities may bear a disproportionate burden of air pollution within Philadelphia.

Barriers to resident participation in tree-planting initiatives across a metropolitan area

Past research on barriers to the development and implementation of green infrastructure (GI) has examined the experiences of policy makers and community leaders, with a focus on planting or installing GI. However, many of these programs rely on participation from the public — especially residents — who often steward GI over the long-term on both public and private lands. To better understand the barriers experienced by primary stewards of GI, we conducted 93 intercept interviews with residents spanning four neighborhoods in the City of Philadelphia and in four nearby suburban municipalities with active TPIs. Selected neighborhoods and towns included areas with varied canopy cover and economically and racially diverse communities. We found that residents viewed trees as a neighborhood asset, yet they also identified multiple categories of barriers across the tree lifecycle, including physical, maintenance, aesthetic, knowledge, and environmental issues. Our study also reveals the convergence and divergence of barriers experienced across city and suburban neighborhoods based on contextual factors. Our results suggest that barriers to participation in TPIs are multi-dimensional, context-specific, and endure across the lifecycle of GI. Long-term maintenance concerns relate to tree care that is outside the purview of TPIs led by non-profit organizations. Advancing equitable urban forestry that reaches neighborhoods with the greatest need requires recognition and respect of resident and community experiences, needs, and land use priorities, as well as improved institutional collaboration.

GLASS BEAKER WITH MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES FROM THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA IN ISAURIA

Built in the region of Isauria - Cilicia Trachea, the ancient city of Philadelphia is located today in the north of the Gökçeseki village in the Ermenek district of the Karaman province. In 2015, a rescue excavation was conducted in this ancient city’s necropolis. During the excavations, sarcophagi that were raised on podiums were discovered. Also, a large number of archaeological finds were unearthed in an area of 10x10 m just west of these sarcophagi. The subject of this study is a glass beaker with mythological figures found in this area. There are very few beakers with mythological figures in the literature. These are a special group of glass bearing high relief decorations, produced through mould-blowing, a technique that was discovered some seventy years after the free-blowing technique of Roman glassmaking. The body of this glass type features four male figures standing between columns joined by garlands of ivy. The identities of the figures are a matter of debate. There seems to be a consensus on the identity of two of them as Poseidon (Weinberg's Figure A) and Dionysus (Weinberg's Figure C), based on the attributes they hold in their hands. Various suggestions exist for the identities of the other two figures. Six fragments belonging to the rim and body of the Philadelphia beaker were discovered. The vessel that has been partially preserved is identical in form and decorative scheme to the glasses that have been published so far. The glass beakers of this type were found in both the eastern and western provinces of the Roman empire. Their origin is a matter of controversy. They were generally dated to the 2nd half of the 1st century AD. For the Philadelphia beaker, it can be suggested that it also dates back to the second half of the 1st century AD, taking into consideration the other finds from the area, in which the highest concentration of the artifacts point to the 1st-3rd centuries AD. There is no evidence of glass production in Philadelphia or its vicinity. Therefore, the Philadelphia find must have been imported to the city. The fact that the fragmentary glass was found in the necropolis of the city suggests that these beakers might have been used during funeral rituals.

The first Ukrainian-American Olympic in 1936 in Philadelphia: memories of the organizers and participants

In the scientific study, an analysis and an attempt to make up for the historically lost time and at least partially return to us the real Ukrainian history of sports and the Olympic movement are carried out. Currently, many pages of the history of Ukrainian sports remain little known. One of them is sports competitions of the Ukrainian diaspora. Their organization required significant efforts, the involvement of specialists, well-known sports and public figures, representatives of state authorities, etc. The symbolic combination of the Olympics of the Ukrainian diaspora with the Olympic Games contributed to the development of the Ukrainian sports and Olympic movement abroad. In September 1936, a grand event in the life of the Ukrainian and American community took place in Philadelphia (USA) - the First Ukrainian-American Olympics or the «First Ukrainian National Games» under the patronage of Ukrainian-American organizations of the city of Philadelphia together with the Ukrainian Catholic League and the American Athletic Union.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Speed Cameras on Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Boulevard

This paper employs Bayesian negative binomial and Poisson models to examine the effectiveness of speed cameras at reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities on and immediately around Roosevelt Boulevard, a particularly dangerous urban arterial in Philadelphia, PA. Camera installation also coincided with rapidly changing traffic safety outcomes throughout the summer after COVID-19 lockdowns and protests against police violence. To find the most appropriate control segments for our analysis, we use k-means clustering to identify the five most similar roadways. Compared with these roadways and other geographic controls, the treated sections of Roosevelt Boulevard experienced decreased crashes, injuries, and fatalities after camera installation. These decreases are on the high end of what is found in the academic literature on speed cameras. The findings for total crashes, traffic injuries, fatalities, and pedestrian injuries are statistically different from zero with a high degree of confidence. Differences in pedestrian fatalities are statistically different from zero with 90% confidence. Based on our findings, we recommend that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia extend and expand the automated speed enforcement pilot. Estimates of the economic benefits of reduced crashes substantially exceed the total fines paid by violators. Despite this positive safety effect, additional treatments will be required to make Roosevelt Boulevard substantially safer. The roadway still accounts for around 8% of all traffic fatalities in Philadelphia.

Improved clinical trial race/ethnicity reporting and updated inclusion profile, 2017–2022: A New Jersey snapshot

BackgroundDiverse representation in clinical trials is an important goal in the testing of a medical, diagnostic, or therapeutic intervention. To date, the desired level of trial equity and inclusivity has been unevenly achieved. MethodsEmploying the US National Library of Medicine's Clinicaltrials.gov registry, we examined 481 clinical trials conducted - at least in part - in the state of New Jersey. These trials were initiated after the FDA-mandated Common Rule changes, i.e., between January 2017 and October 2022, were enacted, and had their results posted. We analyzed sex/race/ethnicity reporting as well as applicable enrollment. Using meta-analysis, we estimated group participation proportions of a subset of the 481 identified trials; specifically, the 229 studies that were conducted solely within the US (i.e., without international sites) and compared them to US census data. FindingsWithin the 481 clinical trials analyzed, over 97% reported on the race and/or ethnicity of their enrollees; all included information on sex. Reporting was not affected by funding source or therapeutic area. Based on the 229 solely US-based studies, the participants overall were 76.7% White; 14.1% Black; 2.7% Asian; and 15% Hispanic. Inclusion of Black participants did not differ from the 2020 US census data; in contrast, the levels of Asian and Hispanic participation were below the corresponding census percentages. InterpretationThe past five years have seen an overall uptick in the equity of race/ethnicity reporting and inclusivity of clinical trials, as compared to previously reported data, presaging the potential acquisition of ever more powerful and meaningful results of such interventional studies going forward. FundingSupport for this study comes from the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. Research in contextEvidence before this studyClinical trials are a critical part of determining whether or not a medical (drug/device/biologic) or socio-behavioral intervention is safe and truly effective. Through their use, scientific understanding is advanced and, ideally, human health is improved. To gain the most impactful information from a clinical trial, it should be sufficiently representative, that is, should enroll an adequate number of participants, and include a diverse population. Without such inclusion, the study is of only limited generalizability. Efforts are underway by funders, sites, and other stakeholders, to enhance reporting and promote inclusive enrollment. The extent to which such attempts are yielding results - at least for clinical trials in the state of New Jersey - is the focus of this data-driven analysis. The ClinicalTrials.gov registry database was carefully mined for the information contained in this report.Added value of this studyOur analysis of clinical trials initiated in the state of New Jersey and conducted there or elsewhere in the US reveals several positive trends. Our 5-year snapshot reveals that a very large percentage of trials report on race/ethnicity - and inclusivity is improving. While there is still some way to go to have the demographic numbers in these trials match US census values, our results suggest that recent efforts are having an effect.Implications of all the available evidenceFor myriad reasons, clinical trials have not enjoyed the public's universal trust over the years. In many ways, medicine moves at the speed of trust - without it, the promise of modern healthcare is brought into question. Clinical trials must include a commitment to diverse enrollment pools and equitable reporting under the law. Creating a legacy of trust - through greater inclusivity in clinical trials and more transparent reporting of results - will begin to heal the divide and engender faith in modern medicine and today's healthcare system. It would also allow for the desired far-reaching generalizability of results across patient populations. To better appreciate what needs to be done going forward, we must truly understand the state of clinical trials reporting and demographic inclusion. This report initiates such an analysis, by carefully documenting how New Jersey's clinical trials are performing. By virtue of its location (e.g., proximity to the cities of New York and Philadelphia) the state is part of a large biopharma cluster and healthcare nexus; it is critical that it performs well with respect to adopting/adhering to updated clinical trial guideline mandates. This report provides a glimpse - an important first look - into the state of clinical trials in New Jersey - from 2017 through 2022.

1799. Patients Who Inject Drugs (PWID) and Unstable Housing are Associated with Invasive Group A Strep Infection: A retrospective collaboration between two large, quaternary care hospital systems in Philadelphia

Abstract Background Invasive infections involving Group A Streptococcus (iGAS), defined as infections beyond simple skin and soft tissue infection or pharyngitis, are rising nationally. We report an increase in incidence of iGAS at two urban, quaternary care health systems that contain 6 hospitals in the city of Philadelphia. Methods All blood, sterile fluid, and tissue cultures that yielded Streptococcus pyogenes were identified using the laboratory information systems at the Temple University Health System and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Two cohorts were compared: cases diagnosed between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019, and between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. We excluded 2020 data to avoid analysis of disease incidence when hospital admission patterns may have been highly biased due to COVID-19 pandemic. Electronic health records were reviewed and data pertaining to demographics, month of infection, culture site, HIV status, HCV status, housing status, and injection drug use were abstracted. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize findings. Results In 2021, there were 301 unique cases of iGAS (148 involving bacteremia) compared to 169 in 2019 (with 70 cases of bacteremia). This represented an overall increase in iGAS of 178% and a 211% increase in cases involving bacteremia. Of the cases in 2021, 210 (69.8%) were PWID compared to only 54 (32%) in 2019, a 388% increase. In 2021, 7.5% of patients had a diagnosis of HIV compared to 8.9% in 2019, but a large percentage did not have an HIV test (37% in 2019 and 19% in 2021). HCV Antibody positivity was 52.3% in 2021 versus 26.6% in 2019. Housing instability was recorded in 151 cases (50.2%) in 2021 and 31 (18.3%) in 2019, a 487% increase. Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of iGAS cases in 2019 and 2021 Table 2 Age and Sex data in PWID Conclusion From 2019 to 2021, there was an increase in iGAS infections among an adult population in a large metropolitan city. We noted a 178% total increase in iGAS during our study period, with a 388% increase among PWID and 487% increase among those unstably housed. As the overdose crisis continues, public health practitioners and medical providers should be aware of the increase in iGAS when providing empiric treatment for PWID with infections and utilize local and national resources to report and manage cases. Disclosures Sara K. Schultz, MD FACP FIDSA, AbbVie: Advisor/Consultant

Measuring the Influence of Multiscale Geographic Space on the Heterogeneity of Crime Distribution

Urban crimes are not homogeneously distributed but exhibit spatial heterogeneity across a range of spatial scales. Meanwhile, while geographic space shapes human activities, it is also closely related to multiscale characteristics. Previous studies have explored the influence of underlying geographic space on crime occurrence from the mechanistic perspective, treating geographic space as a collection of points or lines, neglecting the multiscale nature of the spatial heterogeneity of crime and underlying geographic space. Therefore, inspired by the recent concept of “living structure” in geographic information science, this study applied a multiscale analysis method to explore the association between underlying geographic space and crime distribution. Firstly, the multiscale heterogeneity is described while simultaneously considering both the statistical and geometrical characteristics. Then, the spatial association rule mining approach is adopted to quantitatively measure the association between crime occurrence and geographic space at multiple scales. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods is evaluated by crime incidents in the city of Philadelphia. Experimental results show that crime heterogeneity is indeed closely related with the spatial scales. It is also proven that the influence of underlying geographic space on crime heterogeneity varies with the spatial scales. This study may enrich the methodology in crime pattern and crime explanation analysis, and it provides useful insights for effective crime prevention.

Increasing antiretroviral therapy adherence and retention in care among adults living with HIV in Philadelphia: a study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of managed problem-solving plus (MAPS+) delivered by community health workers

IntroductionTo end the HIV epidemic in Philadelphia, implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) to increase viral suppression and retention in HIV care is critical. Managed problem solving (MAPS), an EBP for...

“It’s a Calling. You Answered.”

Abbott Elementary, a mockumentary comedy series airing on ABC, examines the plight of an underfunded, underresourced elementary school in Philadelphia. In this article, we argue that Abbott Elementary is a compelling look inside an, albeit fictional, urban school located in the city of Philadelphia. The mockumentary form of the series positions the viewer as ethnographer so that we, in essence, engage in data collection as we listen to documentary-style interviews with participants. Using intersectional analysis, we ponder two questions: How does Abbott Elementary expand or constrain our thinking through systems of domination around the politics of schooling? How might Abbott Elementary further inform our understandings of damage-centered and desire-based research?

Social media analysis reveals environmental injustices in Philadelphia urban parks

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 11.7 calls for access to safe and inclusive green spaces for all communities. Yet, historical residential segregation in the USA has resulted in poor quality urban parks near neighborhoods with primarily disadvantaged socioeconomic status groups, and an extensive park system that addresses the needs of primarily White middle-class residents. Here we center the voices of historically marginalized urban residents by using Natural Language Processing and Geographic Information Science to analyze a large dataset (n = 143,913) of Google Map reviews from 2011 to 2022 across 285 parks in the City of Philadelphia, USA. We find that parks in neighborhoods with a high number of residents from historically disadvantaged demographic groups are likely to receive lower scores on Google Maps. Physical characteristics of these parks based on aerial and satellite images and ancillary data corroborate the public perception of park quality. Topic modeling of park reviews reveal that the diverse environmental justice needs of historically marginalized communities must be met to reduce the uneven park quality—a goal in line with achieving SDG 11 by 2030.

Soil contamination in community gardens of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Community gardens have been seen sprouting up in and around urban settings such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh over the past several decades. Due to the long histories of industrial activities and urbanization, these soils in urban regions may be at a high risk for various contaminants such as metals and metalloids. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we measured 7 elements (lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), vanadium (V), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As)) in soil samples collected from a total of 21 community gardens in Philadelphia City, Philadelphia suburban areas, and Pittsburgh City during September and October 2021. We found that the city areas in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had higher elemental concentrations in community garden soils compared to the suburbs. We found that all elements except vanadium were below the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) guidelines. When compared to more stringent Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) guidelines of a maximum of 140mg/kg of lead in the soil, 36% percent of Philadelphia community gardens, 60% of Pittsburgh gardens, and 20% of the Philadelphia suburb gardens exceeded the CCME guideline. In Philadelphiacity, generally, elemental concentrations exhibited a negative trend with increasing distance to historical smelter locations, although a significant correlation was observed for only zinc. We found that the soil from the raised beds had lower concentrations of lead and arsenic, but many of the samples from the raised beds had higher concentrations of zinc, copper, vanadium, and nickel. This discrepancy in raised beds is most likely attributed to these elements being actively deposited in the soil from present day sources such as vehicles on the road and active industrial sites. Understanding and recognizing such variations of these contaminants in community gardens are essential to understanding how industrial legacies and modern pollution continue to put urban communities at a disproportionate risk of health impacts.

Liberalism versus Liberalism: An Analysis of Muslim-American Amicus Curiae Arguments Concerning Complicity-Based Conscience Claims

AbstractIn 2015, Douglas NeJaime and Reva Siegel identified complicity-based conscience claims as a subcategory of religious liberty claims, which feature objections to generally applicable laws based on religious convictions that harm third parties. Here, we observe that Muslim-Americans have filed or joined amicus curiae briefs in support of litigants on both sides of the recent complicity-based conscience cases of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado (2018), Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), and Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021). This divergence of legal views within the Muslim-American community points to a broader rift in society generally toward issues involving the navigation of identity and faith in the context of American liberalism. In this article, we show that opposing arguments by Muslim-Americans in these complicity-based conscience cases presuppose two different conceptions of liberalism: (1) liberalism as the pursuit of broad religious, cultural, and value pluralism (modus vivendi), and (2) liberalism as the pursuit of social cohesion, assimilation, and fraternité among diverse constituencies (vivre ensemble). Muslim-Americans who advance a modus vivendi vision of liberalism base their arguments mainly on the view that Islam and other minority religions involve specific beliefs, doctrines, and moral injunctions regarding, inter alia, rules of personal conduct in society that deserve distinctive legal protections. Muslim-Americans who support a vivre ensemble conception of liberalism prioritize the uniform enforcement of civil rights laws over religion-based objections and, in doing so, seek an overlapping consensus between their beliefs and prevailing conceptions of expansive civil liberties.