Relationships of neighborhood blight, urban green remediation and the postmortem human microbiome. Relationships of neighborhood blight, urban green remediation and the postmortem human microbiome

The microbiome plays an important role in human health. Scientists are only beginning to understand the interconnections between the microbiome and the built environment, and little is known about the relationship between differing composition or diversity among individuals in neighborhoods characterized by blight versus green remediation. Such neighborhoods are increasingly prevalent throughout the Rust Belt of the USA. We quantified levels of neighborhood blight/green remediation using geospatial techniques and compared Detroit, MI neighborhood status to the human postmortem microbial communities from death cases. The postmortem microbial communities were chosen as potential surrogates of biological signatures and lifestyle for living community residents. We found results. The results provide initial and provocative evidence of a relationship between the human microbiome, health and neighborhood conditions, establishing the foundation for developing novel research opportunities into the green remediation of urban blight.