Soil access is an equity issue for urban climate resilience

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly used to build urban climate resilience by employing natural features and processes. Implementing NBS in urban residential areas relies on the availability of unsealed soil surfaces. Here we investigate how soil is distributed at fine spatial scales across Los Angeles County, the second largest metropolitan area in the United States, to examine the potential for NBS to be realized equitably. We delineate soil patches in residential areas across a range of socioeconomic settings and urban forms, and then compare soil patch metrics to social vulnerability. Results demonstrate that areas with higher social vulnerability have less total soil area that is also more fragmented and more irregularly shaped. Reduced soil area and soil fragmentation may limit the potential for implementing NBS. As soil availability varies across Los Angeles County in relation to social vulnerability, this study foregrounds soil access as an urban equity issue.

Citation

Berland, Adam; Herrmann, Dustin L.; Locke, Dexter H.; Schwarz, Kirsten. 2025. Soil access is an equity issue for urban climate resilience. Landscape and Urban Planning. 260(1794): 105395. 5 p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105395.