Greenness equity across public school district

Schoolyards as sources of green equity: understanding spatial and demographic distribution of urban green infrastructure

The distribution of green infrastructure (GI) across urban landscapes can result in inequitable delivery of ecosystem services to residents. As public school districts own land across municipalities and serve diverse populations, they have the opportunity to address these injustices. This study assessed the potential for public schoolyards in four North Carolina metropolitan areas of diverse socio-economic and demographic compositions to provide equal access to GI. We found that the extent of tree canopy cover and greenness in schoolyards was unrelated to the socioeconomic status and the race/ethnicity of students across the four school districts. In contrast, lower socioeconomic status and increased diversity in race/ethnicity were associated with both lower tree canopy cover and lower overall greenness in the neighborhoods. Schoolyards are therefore a potentially powerful source of green equity, making school districts important partners to expand urban GI.(#greeninfrastructure #schoolyard #children)