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Urban afforestation and infant health: Evidence from MillionTreesNYC

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  • Jones, Benjamin A.
  • Goodkind, Andrew L.

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of urban afforestation on infant health outcomes by exploiting a quasi-experimental setting where one million new trees were planted in New York City (NYC), but not in counties surrounding NYC over the same time period. Using a near-universal birth record of NYC and surrounding counties over 2004–2015 and employing both the synthetic control method and a difference-in-differences model, we find that an approximately 20% increase in urban forest cover decreased prematurity and low birth weight among mothers in NYC by 2.1 and 0.24 percentage points, respectively, relative to similar mothers outside of NYC. The low birth weight finding is equivalent to getting a mother smoking two cigarettes a day during pregnancy to quit. An internal validity test suggests that changes in the composition of NYC mothers cannot explain the observed effects. Additionally, we find evidence that declines in PM2.5 concentrations and increases in outdoor walks are potential causal mechanisms. Results suggest that urban afforestation may be able to complement existing policies aimed at improving infant health.

Suggested Citation

  • Jones, Benjamin A. & Goodkind, Andrew L., 2019. "Urban afforestation and infant health: Evidence from MillionTreesNYC," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 26-44.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:95:y:2019:i:c:p:26-44
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2019.03.002
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    Cited by:

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    3. López-Feldman, Alejandro & Chávez, Carlos & Vélez, María Alejandra & Bejarano, Hernán & Chimeli, Ariaster & Féres, José & Robalino, Juan & Salcedo, Rodrigo & Viteri, César, 2020. "Environmental Impacts and Policy Responses to Covid-19: A View from Latin America," TD NEREUS 4-2020, Núcleo de Economia Regional e Urbana da Universidade de São Paulo (NEREUS).
    4. Pham, Linh & Roach, Travis, 2023. "Particulate pollution and learning," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Ai, Hongshan & Zhou, Zhengqing, 2023. "Green growth: The impact of urban forest construction on economic growth in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    6. Yuhong Tian & Fenghua Liu & Chi Yung Jim & Tiantian Wang & Jingya Luan & Mengxuan Yan, 2022. "Effects of Self-Rated Health Status on Residents’ Social-Benefit Perceptions of Urban Green Space," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-19, August.
    7. Benjamin A. Jones & Shana McDermott, 2021. "The Local Labor Market Impacts of US Megafires," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    8. Li, Liqing, 2023. "Environmental goods provision and gentrification: Evidence from MillionTreesNYC," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    9. Deven Azevedo & Hendrik Wolff & Akio Yamazaki, 2023. "Do Carbon Taxes Kill Jobs? Firm-Level Evidence From British Columbia," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(02), pages 1-46, May.
    10. Chen, Fanglin & Zhang, Xin & Chen, Zhongfei, 2023. "Air pollution and mental health: Evidence from China Health and Nutrition Survey," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    11. Bing Yang Tan, 2022. "Save a Tree and Save a Life: Estimating the Health Benefits of Urban Forests," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(3), pages 657-680, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Infant health; Urban afforestation; Synthetic control method; Difference-in-differences; New York City; Trees;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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