Green Infrastructure as a Potential Public Health Intervention in Post-Industrial Cities: Findings from a Community Survey

Background: Several Great Lakes post‐industrial cities have adopted green infrastructure (GI) approaches in order to reduce excessive stormwater runoff, which can lead to combined sewer overflows and potential health hazards. We have conducted a cross-disciplinary study to examine if and how small-scale GI installation on blighted and recently demolished housing sites may affect the social and physical environments of highly vacant neighborhoods with implications for health.

Methods: A trained survey team conducted household surveys (n=160) in two nearby sections of a low-income, moderately vacant Detroit neighborhood. The survey included before and after visualizations of three sites undergoing demolition— one control site without GI and two test sites with planned GI flower gardens. Surveys were designed to assess baseline health information, perceptions of community characteristics, and GI design preferences, as well as expected effects of GI.

Results: Preliminary results (N=82) showed that 31% of survey participants were homeowners and 69% were renters. They reported that they expect to see increased safety, walkability, mental health benefits, and economic value of their homes when demolition occurs and GI is installed compared to when only demolition occurs. For example, 74% of participants reported that mental health after GI would ‘increase’ or ‘increase a lot’ compared to 37% when only demolition occurs. Similarly, 77% reported that walkability after GI would ‘increase’ or ‘increase a lot’ compared to 35% when only demolition occurs.

Discussion: This study highlights that GI strategies have the potential to improve resident health in diverse ways and at multiple levels (e.g., biological, social). There remains a need for longitudinal examination of individual and community changes associated with such land use interventions. To ensure GI and related land use strategies for stormwater management and blight remediation are sustainable and effective, future planning decisions in post-industrial cities must consider residents’ experiences and local knowledge.