Letter from Oakland: Lack of trees in low income neighborhoods fuel inequality
By hola | Published | 2 Comments
(courtesy of the city of Oakland)
OAKLAND, California – The oak tree is this city’s symbol, but not all areas of Oakland have an equal number of trees that can provide deep shade on sunny days and reduce the risk of flooding when storms come.
Oakland’s lower income neighborhoods tend to have significantly less greenery and trees compared to high income areas. The city’s most affluent neighborhoods have a 50% tree canopy coverage, meaning that half of those neighborhoods are tree-covered and shaded, compared to 4% in the flats, Oakland’s industrial area, told Daniel Hamilton, Oakland’s Sustainability Manager, to the NBC Bay Area News. Geographically, high income neighborhoods are located in the hills, while low income neighborhoods are located in the flatter areas of the city, such as East Oakland.
With a lack of trees, parks or other greenery, these low-lying areas of the city are susceptible to climate change effects, like heat islands and flooding. These effects are examples of the environmental hazards that disproportionately affect low-income people of color in Oakland and around the country, according to a growing body of research that Hola Cultura has reported in the podcast series “The Climate Divide.”
With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, heat islands are becoming more of a concern for residents of urbanized areas. Heat islands are urban areas that endure higher temperatures than rural areas. They are often hotter because they contain fewer green spaces and lots of buildings and roads that quickly absorb heat. Oakland and Washington, D.C., are just two of many cities facing these challenges.
East Oakland, a neighborhood that’s part of the flats, fits the description of being a heat island because it’s industrial with many concrete buildings. To address heat islands, experts say more cities need to plant more trees and prioritize areas with low tree cover.
Among those most affected by the lack of shade from tree cover are people who work outside, like mail carriers, fruit vendors and construction workers. Emily, a fruit vendor who works all over Oakland, shares her experience with the heat.
“Sometimes it goes up to 98 degrees, which affects us, and it is worse for babies. My baby always cries because of the heat,” says Emily, who asked to be identified only by her first name to respect her privacy. She and other vendors in the area often need to bring their children to work with them, even in extreme weather.
“When it is very hot, she [her daughter] gets really affected. She always gets bored and starts crying because of the heat,” says Emily. When that happens, “I go for a walk with her for a while to distract her.”
Taking care of an upset baby while maintaining a business is one of the many ways the heat affects vulnerable people and takes a toll on their ability to make a living.
Dealing with an increasing number of extreme heat days is only one of the problems fueled by climate change that East Oakland residents face. Flooding is another ongoing concern. With the majority of East Oakland covered by concrete, water from storms has nowhere to go, which can cause flooding.
Heavy rainfall and stormwater runoff cause floods in these areas. Residents are more at risk of these floods because this part of the city has tidal creeks and channels known to flood the surrounding houses, like that of an East Oakland resident who asked to be identified only by his nickname, Junior. His neighborhood has flooded a few times, raising his concerns about whether his family’s home is also vulnerable to flooding.
“The water just flooded my neighbor’s backyard. And it started coming towards our side of the fence,” Junior says.
Flooding is currently relatively uncommon in Oakland. However, it is becoming a growing concern as the sea level rises. According to Risk Factor, about 4,429 properties in Oakland have more than a 26% chance of being “severely affected by flooding over the next 30 years,” representing 15% of all properties in Oakland. Most properties at risk for flooding are in lower income neighborhoods. If action isn’t taken to prevent flooding, experts say Oakland’s low income residents will be disproportionately affected.
Increasing wilderness in urban neighborhoods can diminish the effects of high temperatures and flooding, according to experts. Planting more trees and green infrastructure can cool temperatures through the process of evapotranspiration and by creating shade. In addition, plants and trees can assist with stormwater runoff by absorbing water.
The City of Oakland has created an urban forest master plan to help the communities that are impacted by these environmental hazards. It’s in the process of, for example, planting more trees. The city intends to plant 700 trees throughout the flats of Oakland – both in East and West Oakland – by the winter of 2023. Additionally, in 2020, the city of Oakland created the 2030 Equitable Climate Change Plan. This plan is a step towards combating climate change in the city.
The impacts of climate change are experienced differently by residents of Oakland based on where they live. Creating a targeted climate change plan can reduce these negative impacts on Oakland’s vulnerable residents. With the city’s cooperation and help from the community, the inequity between the hills and flats of Oakland can be minimized.
To learn more about how summertime heat affects local residents, listen to Hola Cultura’s podcast, “The Climate Divide.” Stay tuned for season 2 coming this fall!
– Story by Lily Herrick
– Edited by Rafaella Mufarech
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amazing article!
A very informative article!