1. Spaces of Heightened Risk to Extreme Heat in a Border Metropolis
Tim Collins, UTEP Sociology & Anthropology
Collaborators: Sara Grineski, Paula Ford, Raed Aldouri, Gilberto Velázquez-Angulo, Lourdes Romo Aguilar, Rosa Fitzgerald, Marcelo Korc
El Paso Heat-Health Workshop, 13 July 2016

2. Study Purpose/Framework
Purpose: To spatially characterize population risk to extreme heat and urban greening adaptation options at the neighborhood level for El Paso and Ciudad Juárez
Conceptual framework (Wisner et al. 2004)
R (risk) = H (exposure to extreme heat) × V (social vulnerability) (Wisner et al. 2004) 2

3. Study Area: El Paso County (TX) and Ciudad Juárez (CHIH)

4. Methods: Unit of Analysis
El Paso (TX) and Ciudad Juárez (CH)
“Neighborhoods”: census block groups and áreas geoestadísticas básicas (AGEBs) (Collins et al. 2009)

5. Methods: Approach to Analysis
Several linked steps:
develop variables for extreme heat exposure and vegetation abundance at the neighborhood level
construct variable for social vulnerability to extreme heat at the neighborhood level
map extreme heat, vegetation abundance, and cumulative heat vulnerability at the neighborhood level
conduct spatial statistical analysis of extreme heat—vegetation abundance—social vulnerability relationships to identify areas most suitable for urban greening

8. Cumulative Heat Vulnerability (social)
9 variables (corresponding with Reid et al. 2009):
Mean income (-)
Mean education (-)
Percentage age ≥ 65 (years) (+)
Population density (+)
Percent disabled (+)
Percent lacking plumbing (+)
Percent lacking kitchen (+)
Percent lacking telephone (+)

12. Some of the Limitations
Lack of compatible bi-national health data
In general, lack of data on heat-health outcomes at fine spatial scales
Data are centered on the year 2000, and it’s 2016
Not focused on the stakeholder engagement and coordination needed to implement extreme heat adaptation projects (including those involving urban greening)

13. Acknowledgements We dedicate this work to Paula Ford.
To Bill Hargrove (CERM at UTEP) and Marcelo Korc (PAHO, El Paso Office) for helping to assemble the research team and for supporting our efforts on this the project.
This project was supported by the Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP) EPA Cooperative Agreement EM The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CERM, UTEP, SCERP, or the US Environmental Protection Agency.