Does Urban Green Space Mitigate Emergency Department Cases During Heat Waves?

This research project explores whether urban green spaces—like parks, trees, and gardens—can help protect people’s health during extreme heat. Focusing on the Richmond, Virginia area, the team will study emergency room visits from 2016 to 2022 to see if people living in greener neighborhoods are less likely to need emergency care during heat waves.

By combining detailed health records from Virginia’s All-Payer Claims Database with high-resolution climate data and sophisticated land use analysis tools, the researchers aim to identify which green space features offer the greatest protection from extreme heat. Unlike past studies that use simple greenness measures, this one examines the size, shape, connectivity, and distribution of green areas across neighborhoods.

The findings will help city planners and public health officials make better decisions about where to plant trees, build parks, or take other actions to keep neighborhoods safe as temperatures continue to rise. By identifying which communities are most at risk and what kinds of green spaces offer the most protection, the project aims to make cities healthier and more resilient in the face of climate change.