The Urban Forest, Childhood Asthma and Community Air Quality (09-NA-IN539-09)

We propose an innovative research collaboration to examine and describe the linkages between urban forest structure, community-scale air quality, and respiratory health. The partners will include Columbia University, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, City University of New York’s Queens College Center for the Biology of Natural Systems and the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab. We will bring together health data from high-risk children in New York City with detailed urban forest inventories and air quality monitoring in the neighborhoods where they live. Specific attention will be paid to the public health effects that the urban forest may have on childhood asthma which is most likely mediated through changes in community air quality. This study could provide direction for municipal governments and community groups towards mitigating the health effect of air pollution through improved planning and maintenance of urban forests. The national target audiences for this research include cities and municipalities with high air pollution levels.

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