Race and Stormwater in LA County

America’s legacy of racist land use and housing policies affect how much impervious surface is in one’s neighborhood. This not only affects amounts of stormwater runoff generated, but also levels of greenery, temperature, flooding, etc. This study empirically examines effect of race on neighborhood impervious surfaces in Los Angeles County. Preliminary results indicate that for people of color, as their populations increase by Census tract, so do impervious surfaces. For the white population, the inverse is true. Even after controlling for sociodemographic and land use variables, neighborhoods with higher white populations continue to have less impervious surfaces. Results imply that LA County follows national patterns of environmental racism, but that there is also great potential to help address historically racist planning policies while meeting stormwater goals.