Using Environmental Protection Agency Data Tools to Map Particulate Matter 2.5 Near Public Housing Buildings and Major Roads in New York

Perrin Krisko
Department of Housing and Urban Development

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the official positions or policies of the Office of Policy Development and Research, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the U.S. Government.

The link between on-road traffic, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) emissions, inequity, and mortality has been researched extensively (Dockery et al., 1993, Pinto de Moura and Reichmuth, 2019, Pope and Dockery, 2012); however, limited analysis exists of assessing risks for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted public housing assets. This article aims to geographically review the potential risks of mortality from on-road PM2.5 exposure among HUD-assisted public housing residents who live within 500 meters and 150 meters of major roadways. HUD analysts can use the analytical approach and tools (MOVES and BenMAP-CE) in this article to better understand the dynamic and intersectional processes affecting air pollution exposure among public housing residents.