Urban greening supported by GIS: from data collection to policy implementation

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

While the multiple benefits of urban greening are known, implementing green projects in post-industrial urban centers—where economic development, community revitalization and job creation are prioritized—requires accurate data that are relevant to local advocates and decision-makers. Municipal tax rolls are often used to identify vacant properties but are not necessarily up-to-date or do not contain detailed attributes about vacant properties. The Rutgers University Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES) partnered with the City of Trenton and Isles, Inc., a local non-governmental organization (NGO), to conduct a unique smart-phone based city-wide property survey that captured property data not available in the city's tax rolls. Spatial analysis of data was completed and compared to a baseline vacant property survey. Having current and accurate data has empowered Trenton to develop a strategy to redevelop their unproductive tax base, and has given an NGO the tools needed to draft a Master Plan Revision to institutionalize the need for green redevelopment. This paper discusses data collection and analysis methodology and recommendations to “green” the City of Trenton.