TAF PUBLISHING

This study focuses on socioeconomically disadvantaged areas that desperately need green infrastructures because of their low elevation and adjacent location to hurricane-prone coastal areas. By investigating educational attainment, poverty, and ethnicity data taken from the United States Census Bureau and combining it with Google Earth Street View data, green infrastructures are identified and studied in this work. Within Houston, Texas, the socioe- conomically disadvantaged have more green infrastructures than higher education and income levels. The results argue that the pattern of green infrastructure development in Houston is not so much due to the residents’ interest and concern for the environment. However, it is more likely the result of past flood events. This research indicates that ethnicity may correlate more closely to the location of green infrastructures within the Houston area than previously indicated. The results are discussed with the historical perspective as well as the federal and local government’s effort and potential policy implications.