Sfe EnviroAtlas

Community Summary
Fact Sheet

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people 4 health 4 nature 4 economy

www.epa.gov/enviroatl as

Birmingham, AL 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 300 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 Birmingham,
Alabama.

Background

The EnviroAtlas boundary for the Birmingham area was
determined using the 2010 Census definition of an Urban
Area, hi addition to Birmingham, it includes Hoover,
Pelham, and Trussville, as well as other towns within
Shelby, St. Clair, and Jefferson Counties. The area measures
2,335 square kilometers, and encompasses 577 census block
groups. The Birmingham area is in the Southern
Limestone/Dolomite Valleys and Low Rolling Hills
ecoregion. It has a humid subtropical climate with hot
summers, mild winters, and abundant rainfall.

Percent Land Cover in Community Area

Water
Impervious
Soil & Barren
Trees & Forest
Grass & Herbaceous
Woody Wetlands
Emergent Wetland

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Community

The area was historically vegetated with oak-hickory and
oak-pine forests; however, much of the natural vegetation
has been removed for urbanization. The leading industry
sectors in the area are steel production and banking. The
University of Alabama at Birmingham and its adjacent
hospital are city's largest employers. The demographics of
the Birmingham 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 urban greenery.

Birmingham Area Demographics
2010 Census

Total population

763,628

Under 13 years old

16.93%

Over 70 years of age

9.37%

Other than white/non-
Hispanic

52.82%

Below twice the U.S.
poverty level

37.20%

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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. Lack of these resources in the places
where we live, learn, work, and play can adversely impact
human health and well-being. In the Birmingham
community area:

•	There are 3,828 square meters of green space per
person.

•	About 7,000 residents have less than 5 percent tree
coverage within 50 meters of their home.

•	There are 11,647,432 tons of carbon stored in the
local tree biomass, with an additional 519,514 tons
sequestered annually. Carbon in the atmosphere is
an important factor related to climate stabilization.

•	7,750,169 kilograms of the common air pollutant
ozone are removed from the air by local trees 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. Easily accessible parks are generally considered
to be within 500 meters' walking distance, which takes
less than 15 minutes for an average healthy person.

•	An estimated 20 percent of the Birmingham population
has a park entrance within 500 meters" walking distance
(dark and medium green areas in figure above).

•	An estimated 50 percent of the Birmingham area does
not have a park entrance within 2 kilometers" walking
distance (orange to red and grey areas in figure above).

EnviroAtlas Tools and Features

•	Learn more about 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 Birmingham 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

Proximity to Parks in Birmingham, AL

Estimated walking distance
to a park entrance (m)

Ĥ	250

Ĥ	251 - 500

Ĥ	501 - 750
751 - 1,000
1.001 -2.000

Ĥ	2,001 - 3.000

Ĥ	3,001-4,000

Ĥ	4,001 - 5,000
> 5,000

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 visitwww.epa.gov/enviroatlas.

March 2018


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