EnviroAtlas people 4 health 4 nature 4 economy Community Summary Fact Sheet www.epa.gov/enviroatlas Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 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 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Background Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota were selected because they offer multiple opportunities to leverage existing research and community engagement activities. They also have received excellent public-health and sustainability ratings that can be evaluated from a green infrastructure perspective. The EnviroAtlas boundary for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was determined using the 2010 Census definition of an Urban Area. In addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul, it includes many additional towns within Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Anoka Counties. Percent Land Cover in Community Area Water Impervious Soil/Barreri Trees/Forest Grass/Herbaceous Agriculture Woody Wetlands Emergent Wetlands Rooerj Brookjy fjlp-ft I C? Crystal / j- H'aatiT' fed auderdde MlfineaDGlis age I Bums1.1 ^Roseni GEBCO, USGS. FAO, NPS, NRCAN GeoBaae, IGN, Survey. Esri Japan METI, Esri China (Hoflg Kong), swisslopo, Community it P Corp NL> Ordnance and the G IS User The area measures 2,728 square kilometers, anc encompasses 1,774 census block groups. The Minneapolis/St. Paul area is in the North Central Hardwood Forest ecoregion. It has a humid climate with warm summers, severe winters and no pronounced dry season. This area was historically forested, although much of the area has been converted to agriculture and patches of urban and suburban development. Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to many corporate headquarters and host a large medical device manufacturing industry. The largest employers in the area are the University of Minnesota, 3M and Target. The demographics of the Minneapolis/St. Paul community area indicate that the potential exists for income Minneapolis/St. Paul Area Demographics 2010 Census Total population 2,282,061 Under 13 years old 17.16% Over 70 years of age 7.72% Other than white/non- Hispanic 26.63% Below twice the U.S. poverty level 24.04% CONTINUED ON BACK ~ ------- 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." 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: Green Space and Trees Research indicates that physical and visual access to trees and other green space has positive physiological, cognitive, and emotional benefits. In the Minneapolis/St. Paul community area: There are 780 square meters of green space per person. As few as 14,450 residents have no tree cover within 50 meters of their home. There are 5,882,481 tons of carbon stored in the local tree biomass, with an additional 175,174 tons sequestered annually. 43,328 kilograms of ozone are removed from the air by local tree biomass every year. Near-Road Environments Studies indicate that the capacity of trees to filter air may 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 Minneapolis/St. Paul 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/fonns/contact-enviroatlas Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN Near-Road Enviroments in Minneapolis/St. Paul Are CleanAir Estimated percent of tree cover within 26m of a road edge 0-12.5 12.5-25 25-50 50-75 75-100 Percent of res idential population within 300m of busy roadway ~ 0-^3 44-60 | 61-76 | 77-89 I 90-100 No people living in block group reduce the health impacts of vehicular pollution. In EnviroAtlas, you can find detailed maps of tree coverage along busy roads. In the Minneapolis/St. Paul community area: An estimated 60 percent of the population lives within 300 meters of a busy roadway (dark green to blue block groups m the figure above) 77 percent of the estimated population that lives within 300 meters of a roadway has less than 25% tree buffer (roadways indicated by red and orange lines in the figure above). 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. February 2017 ------- |