Canopy inequity persists beyond the urban core, but its underlying drivers vary across a large metropolitan region
| Authors: | Lindsay E. Darling, Dexter H. Locke, Christine R. Rollinson, Roshanak (Roshi) Nateghi, Robert T. Fahey, Anita T. Morzillo, Brady S. Hardiman |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2026.129594 |
| Source: | Urban Forestry & Urban Greening |
Abstract
Trees offset many challenges endemic to developed areas, like the urban heat island effect and stormwater runoff. Research has shown that urban areas are racially segregated, and there are broad inequities in the distribution of trees; minoritized neighborhoods have less tree canopy (“canopy”). Most research focuses within major city boundaries, while the majority of Americans live in the broader metropolitan region in suburban or exurban communities. While suburbs and exurbs are growing faster than cities and becoming more demographically diverse, little is known about metropolitan canopy equity. This research focused on the seven-county Chicago metropolitan region, which spans from highly urban to agricultural lands with economically and racially diverse suburbs in between. We separated the region into urban, old suburban, new suburban, and exurban groups, and found that racial segregation varied across the groups as did the extent to which socioeconomic and ecological characteristics correlated with canopy cover. Canopy inequity was lower in exurban and urban areas and highest in the suburbs. We also found that the distribution of canopy in urban areas was mostly explained by housing density and racial and ethnic makeup, while historic land cover and housing age explained more in suburban and exurban areas. Understanding the factors that drive variation in canopy cover across the wide spectrum of community types commonly found in metropolitan regions may assist in drafting effective strategies to increase canopy equity.