Race/Ethnicity, Neighborhood Socioeconomic Composition, and Urban Greenspace in the Contiguous United States, 2001-2011

Background/Aim: Cross-sectional studies suggest unequal distribution of urban greenspace. The extent to which neighborhood demographics are related to changes in greenspace over time remains unknown. We aimed to estimate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in (1) 2001 greenspace and (2) change in greenspace between 2001-2011; and (3) the modifying effect of Index of Concentration at the Extremes for income (ICE). Methods: We estimated greenspace using satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 59,483 urban census tracts in the contiguous U.S. Using 2000 census data, we fit linear and logistic regression models to estimate the association between racial/ethnic composition and ICE and 2001 NDVI and NDVI change (2001-2011). Models were adjusted for population density, climatic factors, and housing tenure and considered effect modification by ICE. Results: In 2001, average NDVI across urban tracts was 0.58 (SD = 0.18). NDVI decreased by an average of 0.02 (SD = 0.06) by 2011. A...