TY - JOUR
T1 - Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress
AU - Harlan, Sharon
AU - Brazel, Anthony J.
AU - Prashad, Lela
AU - Stefanov, William L.
AU - Larsen, Larissa
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biocomplexity in the Environment program (SES 0216281) and the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project (DEB 97114833). SLH was also supported by a fellowship at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, a Center funded by NSF (DEB 9421535), the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the State of California. We are grateful to research assistants N. Jones, D. Zeigler, M. Shen and D. Sherwood for help with data collection and preparation and to student participants in the Spring 2003 IGERT Graduate Workshop on Neighborhood Ecosystems for their contributions. E. Hackett, D. Jenerette, A. Kirby, T. Rex, S. Wolf, B. Bolin, A. Nelson, and D. Hope helped to conceptualize this study. Special thanks to G. Heisler for providing us with a batch program for the OUTCOMES models. Comments from anonymous SS&M reviewers improved this article.
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - Human exposure to excessively warm weather, especially in cities, is an increasingly important public health problem. This study examined heat-related health inequalities within one city in order to understand the relationships between the microclimates of urban neighborhoods, population characteristics, thermal environments that regulate microclimates, and the resources people possess to cope with climatic conditions. A simulation model was used to estimate an outdoor human thermal comfort index (HTCI) as a function of local climate variables collected in 8 diverse city neighborhoods during the summer of 2003 in Phoenix, USA. HTCI is an indicator of heat stress, a condition that can cause illness and death. There were statistically significant differences in temperatures and HTCI between the neighborhoods during the entire summer, which increased during a heat wave period. Lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority groups were more likely to live in warmer neighborhoods with greater exposure to heat stress. High settlement density, sparse vegetation, and having no open space in the neighborhood were significantly correlated with higher temperatures and HTCI. People in warmer neighborhoods were more vulnerable to heat exposure because they had fewer social and material resources to cope with extreme heat. Urban heat island reduction policies should specifically target vulnerable residential areas and take into account equitable distribution and preservation of environmental resources.
AB - Human exposure to excessively warm weather, especially in cities, is an increasingly important public health problem. This study examined heat-related health inequalities within one city in order to understand the relationships between the microclimates of urban neighborhoods, population characteristics, thermal environments that regulate microclimates, and the resources people possess to cope with climatic conditions. A simulation model was used to estimate an outdoor human thermal comfort index (HTCI) as a function of local climate variables collected in 8 diverse city neighborhoods during the summer of 2003 in Phoenix, USA. HTCI is an indicator of heat stress, a condition that can cause illness and death. There were statistically significant differences in temperatures and HTCI between the neighborhoods during the entire summer, which increased during a heat wave period. Lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority groups were more likely to live in warmer neighborhoods with greater exposure to heat stress. High settlement density, sparse vegetation, and having no open space in the neighborhood were significantly correlated with higher temperatures and HTCI. People in warmer neighborhoods were more vulnerable to heat exposure because they had fewer social and material resources to cope with extreme heat. Urban heat island reduction policies should specifically target vulnerable residential areas and take into account equitable distribution and preservation of environmental resources.
KW - Climate
KW - Environmental justice
KW - Health inequalities
KW - Neighborhood environment
KW - USA
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U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.07.030
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.07.030
M3 - Article
C2 - 16996668
AN - SCOPUS:33750051675
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 63
SP - 2847
EP - 2863
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
IS - 11
ER -