URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
In urban areas, heat gets trapped by unshaded concrete and asphalt creating "urban heat islands" which can cause the temperature of the air to be 15°F to 20°F hotter than normal (The City of Little Rock, n.d.).
Trees and urban ecology provide several benefits for both environmental and public health (The Nature Conservancy, 2023). The large impervious areas in cities combined with the lack of canopy cover creates increased heating effects during summer months. Urban areas also experience more concentrated levels of airborne and stormwater pollutants. Bioretention and tree cover help these issues and several others that high-development areas experience.
The demographics in Virginia cities reflect similar trends in other urban areas in the country (Bestneighborhood, 2023). Cities tend to have higher levels of education and are more politically left-leaning, leading to potentially more environmental activism and openness. The biggest environmental justice concerns, according to the Mapping for Environmental Justice Project, are centralized in Virginia cities and more rural areas in Southern Virginia. These areas are five times more likely to be exposed to air pollution and almost four times more likely to be located near a superfund site (The Green Initiative Fund, 2023). Given these trends, there is a high likelihood that these areas also experience significantly less urban forestry and green spaces compared to less vulnerable regions. Household income is also higher in suburban areas around major cities while decreasing the closer you get to the inner regions of cities such as Richmond, Roanoke, and Norfolk (Bestneighborhood, 2023).
Market trends in urban regions suggest higher levels of deforestation, as housing areas and other developments require replacing forested or partially forested areas with primarily impervious, developed land (Bestneighborhood, 2023). Housing prices in Virginia, like many other U.S. states, are driving the expansions of housing developments, making it harder for green spaces to exist without specific incentives or compliance requirements. Major highways across the state, specifically Route 81 and 95 run through the state’s largest cities, and cause significantly higher air pollution along their corridors. While urban trees can help fight these pollutants, the increase in vehicle traffic generally leads to more development and construction. Aside from cities, many rural areas in Virginia are devoted to agriculture and livestock production, generating large open spaces with little to no trees to counteract the urban pollutants. This creates an even greater need to balance developments with urban green spaces and trees (The Nature Conservancy, 2023).
The maintenance of urban environments, besides state laws and regulations, is generally based on the local jurisdictions, such as county and city officials (Va. Code § 15.2-977.1, 2023). This can lead to differing levels of management and regulation among portions of the state. Due to this, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government officials, and voters should push for balanced and stronger regulations encouraging tree placement in cities. Given that many development projects can get away with being “grandfathered” into previous, less stringent regulations, there is an even greater need for urgent action.
Bestneighborhood (2023). The highest and lowest income areas in Virginia. https://bestneighborhood.org/household-income-virginia/
The Nature Conservancy. (2017). How cities can harness the public health benefits of urban trees. https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/Public_Health_Benefits_Urban_Trees_FINAL.pdf
Statutes, codes, and regulations. Legal research tools from Casetext. (2023). https://casetext.com/statute/code-of-virginia/title-152-counties-cities-and-towns/subtitle-ii-powers-of-local-government/chapter-9-general-powers-of-local-governments/article-5-additional-powers/section-152-9771-local-incentives-for-urban-green-space
The City of Little Rock. (2023). Urban Heat Islands. https://www.littlerock.gov/residents/sustainability-office/urban-heat-islands/Virginia – mapping for environmental justice