Anyone can use Tree Equity Score to chart a course of action. Join the movement to advance Tree Equity in urban communities nationwide and contribute to creating greener, safer and more resilient cities.
Tree Equity Score measures how well the critical benefits of urban tree canopy are reaching those who need them most. The score establishes an equity-first standard to guide investment in communities living on low incomes, communities of color and all those disproportionately affected by extreme heat, pollution and other environmental hazards.
Tree Equity Score combines information from a variety of sources to create a single measure from 0 to 100. The lower the score, the greater the need for investment.
A large body of research has demonstrated that land use and urban form can have a significant effect on transportation outcomes.
People who live and/or work in compact neighborhoods with a walkable street grid and easy access to public transit, jobs, stores, and services are more likely to have several transportation options to meet their everyday needs.
As a result, they can choose to drive less, which reduces their emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants compared to people who live and work in places that are not location efficient.
Walking, biking, and taking public transit can also save people money and improve their health by encouraging physical activity.
An EPA-funded meta-analysis of the research, Travel and the Built Environment , summarized the measurable effects of several built environment variables on residents’ travel behavior [i]. These findings can help inform travel demand studies as well as land use and transportation planning studies. However, developing data about these characteristics can be expensive and time consuming.
The National Walkability Index provides walkability scores based on a simple formula that ranks selected indicators from the Smart Location Database that have been demonstrated to affect the propensity of walk trips. Currently, the National Walkability Index dataset ranks each block group relative to all other block groups in the United States, but individuals can use downloadable data and the "how-to" document to construct an index for a smaller universe of block groups, like a state, metropolitan area, or city.
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ―Martin Luther King Jr.
The 2023 City Ratings represents the largest number of rated cities and towns in program history. By comparing the best cities for biking, both big and small, local leaders, decisionmakers, and advocates can act on key lessons to build more safe, fun, and connected places to ride across the U.S.
Today I stand representing my people who for centuries have been subject to displacement contamination intimidation and assimilation but we are still here standing proud bringing a message not of pain but of love for thousands of years we have lived in harmony with Mother Earth
