Exploring the relationships between tree canopy cover and socioeconomic characteristics in tropical urban systems: The case of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

《Exploring the relationships between tree canopy cover and socioeconomic characteristics in tropical urban systems: The case of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic》

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作者: Sebastián Martinuzzi;Dexter H. Locke;Olga Ramos-González;Monika Sanchez;J. Morgan Grove;Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson;Wayne J. Arendt;Gerald Bauer

来源: URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING,Vol.62,Issue1,Article 127125

语言: 英文

关键字: Caribbean;Latin America;Remote sensing;Tree canopy;Urban ecology;Urban forestry;WorldView-3

作者单位: SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA;National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), 1 Park Place, Annapolis, MD, 01610-1477, USA;USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and International Urban Field Station, Jardín Botánico Sur 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, 00926, USA;Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional, Av. Jiménez Moya, Centro de Los Héroes, CP, 10101, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;USDA Forest Service Baltimore Field Station, 5523 Research Park Drive, Suite 350, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA;SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA;National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), 1 Park Place, Annapolis, MD, 01610-1477, USA;USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and International Urban Field Station, Jardín Botánico Sur 1201 Calle Ceiba, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, 00926, USA;Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional, Av. Jiménez Moya, Centro de Los Héroes, CP, 10101, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;USDA Forest Service Baltimore Field Station, 5523 Research Park Drive, Suite 350, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA

摘要: Understanding the distribution of urban tree canopy cover and its relationship with socioeconomic characteristics is critical for informing urban planning and ecological research. However, most knowledge on this topic comes from studies in high-income countries (e.g., North America), and thus, little is known for other cultural, ecological, and political contexts. Here, we derived a high-spatial resolution (1.2 m) land-use/land-cover map for the tropical city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and examined how socioeconomic characteristics (i.e., population density, socioeconomic status, detached homes, homeownership, and householder’s age) relate to residential tree canopy cover at the neighborhood scale. We found that previous theory developed in North American cities applied only partially to Santo Domingo. Of the five socioeconomic variables examined, only two showed relationships with tree canopy consistent with previous findings from North American cities. In particular, socioeconomic status, one of the better-studied correlates of urban tree canopy, was not positively associated with tree canopy cover. At the same time, our new land-use/land-cover map revealed the presence of important areas with low levels of tree canopy cover, which may require additional attention by city planners. Our study reinforces the value of high-spatial resolution satellite data for examining urban areas, and highlights the need for further understanding the characteristics related to the distribution of tree canopy cover outside North America.