Date of Award
Fall 11-21-2025
Document Type
Masters Capstone Project
Degree Name
M.S. in Geographic Information Science
Organizational Unit
College of Natural Science and Mathematics, Geography and the Environment
First Advisor
Steven Hick
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Colorado, Greenspace, Parks, Redlining, Urban planning, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Greenspace equity
Abstract
Urban greenspaces provide numerous benefits to the mental and physical health of nearby people who access these locations for physical recreation, social interaction, and contemplation. Discriminatory urban planning policies from the past, such as redlining, have ensured that greenspace access is not always equitable for communities with diverse racial and socioeconomic compositions. This project utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine relationships between tree cover canopy, greenspace percentage within a census tract, and greenspace accessibility within a graded census tract system based on demographics and historic redlining locations in the Colorado cities of Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. The results indicate mixed results for Denver and that disadvantaged census tracts in Colorado Springs and Pueblo have better access to greenspaces.
Copyright Date
11-14-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Jessica Howard Karr
Provenance
Received from Author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
80 pgs
File Size
7.4 MB
Recommended Citation
Howard Karr, Jessica, "From Red to Green: Using GIS to Examine Colorado’s Inequitable Housing Patterns in Urban Greenspace Accessibility" (2025). Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones. 96.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/geog_ms_capstone/96
Included in
Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons