Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects While Providing Affordable Housing in Bunker Hill

 By Tara K. Miller

As part of the National Science Policy Network’s annual Policy Memo Writing Competition, four colleagues and I published for a policy memo discussing how to balance the needs of affordable public housing and heat mitigation in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Boston, MA.

The Bunker Hill Public Housing development is home to a people of mostly racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, and the housing requires major re-development and repair to enhance the safety of its residents. We support the need for re-development to ensure that residents have safe, healthy, and affordable housing.

Bunker Hill Public Housing in Boston, MA.
Photo by bostonglobe.com

However, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA)’s plan for re-development included removing and replacing about 250 mature trees around the public housing units. Removal of these trees would diminish the cooling available to a population which is already significantly more exposed to the effects of heat events. These effects include heat-related stress, morbidity, and mortality, which will worsen with climate change in the coming years. This area already experiences 20% less cooling due to a lack of vegetation than the average for Boston.

 

To compensate for tree removal, we proposed installing green roofs on the buildings. A green roof consists of vegetation, sometimes a garden, planted over of a waterproof layer. These green roofs would provide cooling and beneficial community services, such as air quality improvement, noise pollution reduction, community spaces, and locally grown food from community gardens. The installation of green roofs will take only 0.25% of the entire re-development project budget and will have a large return in community wellness.

 

 

Atherton, K.F., Dambal, V., Miller, T.K., Smith, I., and Wright, J. [all authors contributed equally]. 2021. Reducing Urban Heat Island effects while providing affordable housing in Bunker Hill. Journal of Science Policy & Governance 18(4). https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180404. 

Flora of the Franklin Mountains

 By Alyssa Helmling

 

Tucked within the city of El Paso, Texas, Franklin Mountains State Park, the largest urban park in the US, is a majestic area for recreation and activity. I frequently hike the slopes of the mountains, and breathing in the fresh, dry air with the sun shining in my face feels like home. 

 

View of the Franklins from a hiking trail

 

The park is also home to a wide variety of plant life. One of the most common sightings while venturing up the mountain are Sotol plants that are scattered throughout the entire landscape. 

Sotol is abundant across the sierra

 

Cacti are also common along the summit, particularly opuntia and southwest barrel cactus. 

Cacti found at the park

 

One plant species I find visually interesting is the ocotillo with its expansive structure, prickly branches, and brightly colored flowers. 

 

Ocotillo is common to these deserts

 

Agave species are sometimes found across the range as well. The green coloration of the vegetation creates a beautiful contrast with the red rock of the mountains. 

 

Unfortunately, the Chihuahua Desert where the Franklin Mountains lie is threatened by woody plant encroachment, climate change, and overgrazing. Warming and drying of the ecosystem due to climate change has led to the disappearance of many water sources and overgrazing of by cattle has contributed to the conversion of grasslands to shrubland in this ecosystem. These are all dangers to the rich biodiversity of the Chihuahua Desert.

Homegrown New England Avocados?

 By Richard B. Primack 

“Our circumstances answer to our expectations and the demand of our natures.”

Henry David Thoreau in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

 

With a warming climate, we already grow figs and okra in our Newton, Massachusetts garden. This year we added two potted avocado plants to our garden, but with very low expectations of them ever fruiting. Despite the “cold-hardy” labels on the plants, we brought them inside in early November. 

 

The avocado plant enjoying a sunny spot.

To our surprise one plant started flowering this week. Each yellowish-green flower opens in a female receptive phase on its first day, and then closes at night. On the second day, the flower is in a male pollen-shedding phase and closes for the last time in the evening. At the base of the flower, bright yellow staminodes produce small drops of nectar. 

 

A close-up of a flower.

Over the past week, our family has been excitedly discussing making tasty guacamole for the February Superbowl from our own plump avocados. A more likely possibility is that the avocado flowers will just fall off due to lack of pollination and the right growing conditions.