Tree Equity Scores and Housing Choice Voucher Neighborhoods

Alexander Din
Perrin Krisko
U.S. 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

Urban greenery has considerable advantages to populations, particularly mental and physical health benefits. Tree canopy in urban areas is linked to reductions in surface temperature, reductions in chronic illnesses, improvements in air quality, and more. A new dataset, the Tree Equity Score, is a metric that describes the intersection between urban tree canopy cover and socioeconomic factors. This analysis examines Tree Equity Scores in six cities chosen on the basis of their participation in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, then evaluates if differences exist between neighborhoods where Housing Choice Voucher households are present and neighborhoods where they are absent. In five of six cities, Tree Equity Scores are higher in neighborhoods where Housing Choice Voucher households are absent.