Socioeconomic factors and urban tree cover policies in a subtropical Urban Forest

Abstract

Cities are increasingly promoting policies that increase and conserve urban forests based largely on biophysical and land use-cover metrics. This study demonstrates how socioeconomic factors need to be considered in geospatial analyses when formulating urban greening policies. Using remote sensing, geographical information systems, spatial field and census data, and policy analyses, we analyzed the effectiveness of urban forest cover policies that included socioeconomic factors when quantifying urban forest cover. We found that urban forest cover was heterogeneous across the study area and non-white residents younger than 19 and greater than 45 years old living in rentals were more likely to reside in areas with less urban forest cover than any other age cohort. Our analyses also indicated that urban forest cover was temporally variable and demographic factors unique to Miami-Dade County bring to light the complexity of establishing homogenous, county-wide "tree canopy" and urban greening policy goals. We present a localized socioeconomic and ecologically based geospatial approach for formulating urban forest cover goals.