Investigating Pigtown neighborhood residents' experiences of the urban heat island effect and green infrastructure implementation

Abstract

In urban areas with limited greenspace, temperatures are higher than in surrounding suburban areas, forming an urban heat island (UHI). Extreme heat and a lack of greenery act as a serious threat to public health as they stress the body physically by exacerbating pre-existing health conditions and emotionally by negatively impacting social cohesion. Baltimore City, Maryland, is one of many historically disenfranchised spaces plagued with environmental disamenities such as the UHI. In recent years, Baltimore has incorporated more sustainable development initiatives, such as implementing green infrastructure (GI) in an attempt to rectify these disamenities. Within the current sustainability planning literature, there is a gap in qualitative accounts of residents’ lived experiences of the GI planning process, community outreach strategies, and implementation efforts utilized. This research project is focused on the Pigtown neighborhood of Baltimore City and aims to investigate socially vulnerable resident’s experiences of the UHI and GI implementation.