Exploring the relationships between tree canopy cover and socioeconomic characteristics in tropical urban systems : the case of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Abstract

Understanding the distribution of urban tree canopy cover and its relationship with socioeconomic characteristics is critical for informing urban planning and ecological research. However, most knowledge on this topic comes from studies in high-income countries (e.g., North America), and thus, little is known for other cultural, ecological, and political contexts. Here, we derived a high-spatial resolution (1.2 m) land-use/land-cover map for the tropical city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and examined how socioeconomic characteristics (i.e., population density, socioeconomic status, detached homes, homeownership, and householder’s age) relate to residential tree canopy cover at the neighborhood scale.