by SJ Lee, T Longcore, C Rich, JP Wilson

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 24:222-235

2017

This study sought to understand how renovation and redevelopment in single-family neighborhoods in the 20 largest cities in the Los Angeles basin affect land cover. Using building data from the tax assessor and aerial imagery from points before and after the renovations, results showed that redevelopment significantly increased hardscape and significantly decreased green cover. Extrapolating the results beyond the sample suggests 1.2% annual decrease in tree/shrub cover for single-family neighborhoods across the study area. The authors warn of the environmental impacts of changing preferences for house size and levels of impervious cover.

Region: Los Angeles County, California
Publication Type: Journal article
Keywords: aerial and satellite imagery, land cover, Los Angeles, residential, tree canopy cover, trees on private property, and urban forestry