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Community Summary
Fact Sheet
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people 4 health 4 nature 4 economy
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www.epa.gov/enviroatlas
Des Moines, IA and surrounding area
Towns and cities rely on clean air, clean water, green space,
and other natural amenities for economic sustainability and
quality of life, yet their benefits are not always fully
understood or considered in local decisions. EPA and its
partners are producing EnviroAtlas to help communities
better use environmental assets for public good.
EnviroAtlas includes an online interactive mapping
application that anyone can use. The interactive map
contains over 200 maps available for the U.S., as well as
100+ fine-scale maps for selected U.S. communities about
existing and potential benefits from the local natural
environment. The EnviroAtlas community component is
based on 1-meter resolution land cover data. Information
derived from these data is summarized by census block
groups; more spatially explicit map layers are also provided.
This fact sheet highlights some of the many community data
layers available for the featured area of Des Moines, Iowa.
Background
The Des Moines, Iowa area was chosen as an EnviroAtlas
community because it offers several opportunities to
leverage existing community engagement activities. The
EnviroAtlas boundary for the Des Monies area was
determined using the 2010 Census definition of an Urban
Area. It includes the city and suburbs of Des Moines. The
area measures 880 square kilometers, and encompasses 312
census block groups.
The Des Moines area is in the Western Corn Belt Plains
Percent Land Cover in Community Area
Water
Impervious
Soil/Barren
Trees/Forest
Grass/Herbaceous
Agriculture
Woody Wetlands
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Community
ecoregion. It has severe, humid climate with hot summers
and cold winters. The region was historically vegetated with
tall grass prairies; however, most of the region has been
converted into agriculture. The community's economy is
anchored in the financial and insurance industries. The
largest employers include Wells Fargo & Co., Mercy
Medical Center, Unity Point Health, and Principal Financial
Group. The demographics of the Pittsburgh community area
indicate that the potential exists for income and other
disparities in the distribution of environmental assets.
EnviroAtlas includes demographic maps that can help
screen for potential health and well-being disparities
resulting from disproportionate distribution of "green
infrastructure."
Des Moines Area Demographics
2010 Census
Total population
456,017
Under 13 years old
19.45%
Over 70 years of age
7.26%
Other than white/non-
Hispanic
18.88%
Below twice the U.S.
poverty level
23.55%
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I Estimated walking distance to s
| park entrance (m)
| 250
| 251 -500
| 501-750
751 -1,000
1,001 - 2.000
2.001 - 3.000
| 3,001 - 4.000
| 4,001 -5.000
Insufficient Data
Ecosystem Services Overview
In EnviroAtlas, the benefits humans receive from nature
are grouped into seven categories that demonstrate the
interconnectedness of these ecosystem services:
Clean air
Clean and plentiful water
Natural hazard mitigation
Climate stabilization
Recreation, culture, and aesthetics
Biodiversity conservation
Food, fuel, and materials (data available only for
communities with farm land)
Examples of some of the data included in EnviroAtlas are
detailed below:
Proximity to Parks
I in Des Moines area, IA I
Green Space and Trees
Research indicates that physical and visual access to trees
and other green space has positive physiological,
cognitive, and emotional benefits. There are 1,444 square
meters of green space per person. In the Des Moines
community area:
•	14 out of 312 K-12 Schools have less than 25
percent green space within 100 meters.
•	There are 1,502,221 tons of carbon stored in the
local tree biomass, with an additional 46,883 tons
sequestered annually.
•	636,939 kilograms of ozone are removed from the
air by local tree biomass every year.
Access to Parks
Parks provide access to green space, encourage physical
activity, and improve the livability and aesthetics of urban
areas. Those who live closer to parks may be more likely
to receive the multiple benefits associated with this
proximity.
•	An estimated 18 percent of the Des Moines area is
located within easy walking distance (500 meters) of a
park entrance (dark and medium green areas in figure
above).
•	An estimated 33 percent of the Des Moines population
does not have a park entrance within half of a kilometer
(yellow to red areas in figure above).
EnviroAtlas Tools and Features
•	Learn more about and download EnviroAtlas data: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-data
•	Search our data layers and access their fact sheets: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-dvnamic-data-matrix
•	Explore data for the Des Moines community area in our interactive mapping application:
https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-interactive-map
•	Use our Eco-Health Relationship Browser to explore ecosystems, the services they provide, and their benefits to human
health and well-being: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-eco-health-relationship-browser
•	Contact us with questions about EnviroAtlas: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/forms/contact-enviroatlas
EnviroAtlas combines maps, graphs, and other analysis tools, fact sheets, and downloadable data into an easy-to-use, web-based
educational and decision-support tool. EnviroAtlas helps users understand the connections between the benefits we derive from
ecosystem services and the natural resources that provide them. For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/enviroatlas.
November 2014

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