We are measuring environmental parameters (air pollutant, noise, and vegetation metrics) before, during, and after the planting. This data is used to assess the impact of vegetation on air quality and noise, and to correlate changes in the health measurements taken as part of the HEAL Study.
We have installed 60 “passive” air samplers on utility poles throughout the neighborhoods, including near the interstate. Every two months, we collect one-week samples. The samples are then analyzed in a laboratory to calculate airborne concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and ozone.
Real-time monitors placed on a vehicle measure air quality along predetermined driving routes through the neighborhoods. This information is combined with the fixed-site data from the passive samplers to generate high-resolution maps for air quality.
A smaller number of noise monitors are rotated across 60 sites in the neighborhoods to map noise levels. Satellite data and lidar (light detection and ranging) remote sensing are used to characterize the vegetation density before and after planting.
Urban Heat Island Project
Louisville Metro
Air Pollution Claims 5.5 Million Lives a Year, Making It the Fourth-Leading Cause of Death Worldwide
Newsweek
Air Pollution Raises Risk of Death “for Decades after Exposure”
Guardian
Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease: Increased Risk for Women with Diabetes
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain
New York Times
Pollution May Age the Brain
New York Times
Green Spaces Make Kids Smarter
Atlantic
This Graphic Shows the Best Air-Cleaning Plants, According to NASA
Lifehacker
Louisville Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
Louisville Metro
An Algae Farm Designer to Suck Up Highway Pollution
Fast Company
Trees Help Prevent Asthma, Respiratory Disease, Study Says
Phys.org
Toxic Air in Louisville Not Being Monitored
Courier-Journal
A Review of the Health Benefits of Greenness
Current Epidemiology Reports
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Is Tree Loss Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Women’s Health Initiative? A Natural Experiment
Health & Place
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The Association between Neighborhood Greenness and Cardiovascular Disease: An Observational Study
BMC Public Health
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Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban Communities
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Roadside Vegetation Barrier Designs to Mitigate Near-Road Air Pollution Impacts
Science of the Total Environment
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Herbaceous Plants as Filters: Immobilization of Particulates along Urban Street Corridors
Environmental Pollution
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