Greenness and equity: Complex connections between intra-neighborhood contexts and residential tree planting implementation

Associations between neighborhood greenness and socioeconomic status (SES) are established, yet intra-neighborhood context and SES-related barriers to tree planting remain unclear. Large-scale tree planting implementation efforts are increasingly common and can improve human health, strengthen climate adaptation, and ameliorate environmental inequities. Yet, these efforts may be ineffective without in-depth understanding of local SES inequities and barriers to residential planting. We recruited 636 residents within and surrounding the Oakdale Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, and evaluated associations of individual and neighborhood-level sociodemographic indicators with greenness levels at multiple scales. We offered no-cost residential tree planting and maintenance to residents within a subsection of the neighborhood and examined associations of these sociodemographic indicators plus baseline greenness levels with tree planting adoption among 215 eligible participants. We observed positive associations of income with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and leaf area index (LAI) within all radii around homes, and within yards of residents, that varied in strength. There were stronger associations of income with NDVI in front yards but LAI in back yards. Among Participants of Color, associations between income and NDVI were stronger than with Whites and exhibited no association with LAI. Tree planting uptake was not associated with income, education, race, nor employment status, but was positively associated with lot size, home value, lower population density, and area greenness. Our findings reveal significant complexity of intra-neighborhood associations between SES and greenness that could help shape future research and equitable greening implementation. Results show that previously documented links between SES and greenspace at large scales extend to residents’ yards, highlighting opportunities to redress greenness inequities on private property. Our analysis found that uptake of no-cost residential planting and maintenance was nearly equal across SES groups but did not redress greenness inequity. To inform equitable greening, further research is needed to evaluate culture, norms, perceptions, and values affecting tree planting acceptance among low-SES residents.