The Relationship Between Historical Redlining Zones and Proximity to Green Space in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Type of Presentation
Poster
Type of Project
Project I/II
Presenter 1 Program
INSC
Presenter 1 Location
Harrisburg
Presenter 2 Location
Harrisburg
Project Description
Many studies have highlighted the benefits of outdoor green space to our health and state of well-being. With greater than 50% of the world’s population living in urban environments by 2015, many studies have focused on the importance of public urban parks. However, historical redlining policies decreased infrastructure investment within lower-income communities of color leading to inequitable green space access. Redlining was a discriminatory practice codified by the federal government in 1934 that denied loans and investment of services to areas based on race, immigration, and socioeconomic status. This study investigated the relationship between the 1935 Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) investment risk zones for Harrisburg, PA and current-day access to green space. As defined by the National Park Service and the Center for Disease Control, green space within 0.5 miles of a residence is considered accessible. To evaluate the relationship between the HOLC zones and distance to green space, the digitized HOLC zones were overlaid on a Euclidian distance layer calculated from the city’s parks layer using ArcGIS Pro 3.0. Distance to green space was sampled via 100 random points, stratified by HOLC zones, and analyzed using a single-factor ANOVA. The results from this study can be used to prioritize areas within the city to be developed into publicly accessible green spaces.
Faculty Member
Christine Proctor
The Relationship Between Historical Redlining Zones and Proximity to Green Space in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Many studies have highlighted the benefits of outdoor green space to our health and state of well-being. With greater than 50% of the world’s population living in urban environments by 2015, many studies have focused on the importance of public urban parks. However, historical redlining policies decreased infrastructure investment within lower-income communities of color leading to inequitable green space access. Redlining was a discriminatory practice codified by the federal government in 1934 that denied loans and investment of services to areas based on race, immigration, and socioeconomic status. This study investigated the relationship between the 1935 Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) investment risk zones for Harrisburg, PA and current-day access to green space. As defined by the National Park Service and the Center for Disease Control, green space within 0.5 miles of a residence is considered accessible. To evaluate the relationship between the HOLC zones and distance to green space, the digitized HOLC zones were overlaid on a Euclidian distance layer calculated from the city’s parks layer using ArcGIS Pro 3.0. Distance to green space was sampled via 100 random points, stratified by HOLC zones, and analyzed using a single-factor ANOVA. The results from this study can be used to prioritize areas within the city to be developed into publicly accessible green spaces.