Urban greening supported by GIS: from data collection to policy implementation

Luke Drake; Beth Ravit; Iana Dikidjieva; Laura J. Lawson; Luke Drake; Beth Ravit; Iana Dikidjieva; Laura J. Lawson

doi:10.3934/environsci.2015.4.910

AIMS Environmental Science

2015, Volume 2, Issue 4: 910-934. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2015.4.910

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Research article Special Issues

Urban greening supported by GIS: from data collection to policy implementation

1.
Department of Geography, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA;
2.
Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability, Department of Environmental Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;
3.
Isles, Inc., Trenton, NJ, USA;
4.
Office of Agriculture and Urban Programs, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Landscape Architecture, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Received: 07 May 2015 Accepted: 18 October 2015 Published: 25 January 2015

While the multiple benefits of urban greening are known, implementing green projects in post-industrial urban centers—where economic development, community revitalization and job creation are prioritized—requires accurate data that are relevant to local advocates and decision-makers. Municipal tax rolls are often used to identify vacant properties but are not necessarily up-to-date or do not contain detailed attributes about vacant properties. The Rutgers University Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES) partnered with the City of Trenton and Isles, Inc., a local non-governmental organization (NGO), to conduct a unique smart-phone based city-wide property survey that captured property data not available in the city's tax rolls. Spatial analysis of data was completed and compared to a baseline vacant property survey. Having current and accurate data has empowered Trenton to develop a strategy to redevelop their unproductive tax base, and has given an NGO the tools needed to draft a Master Plan Revision to institutionalize the need for green redevelopment. This paper discusses data collection and analysis methodology and recommendations to “green” the City of Trenton.
- urban agriculture,
- spatial analysis,
- urban planning,
- food systems
Citation: Luke Drake, Beth Ravit, Iana Dikidjieva, Laura J. Lawson. Urban greening supported by GIS: from data collection to policy implementation[J]. AIMS Environmental Science, 2015, 2(4): 910-934. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2015.4.910

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Abstract

While the multiple benefits of urban greening are known, implementing green projects in post-industrial urban centers—where economic development, community revitalization and job creation are prioritized—requires accurate data that are relevant to local advocates and decision-makers. Municipal tax rolls are often used to identify vacant properties but are not necessarily up-to-date or do not contain detailed attributes about vacant properties. The Rutgers University Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES) partnered with the City of Trenton and Isles, Inc., a local non-governmental organization (NGO), to conduct a unique smart-phone based city-wide property survey that captured property data not available in the city's tax rolls. Spatial analysis of data was completed and compared to a baseline vacant property survey. Having current and accurate data has empowered Trenton to develop a strategy to redevelop their unproductive tax base, and has given an NGO the tools needed to draft a Master Plan Revision to institutionalize the need for green redevelopment. This paper discusses data collection and analysis methodology and recommendations to “green” the City of Trenton.

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