The area around Blue Hill Avenue, the main artery spanning Roxbury and Dorchester — what the City of Boston describes as “Boston’s central spine” — is an urban heat island, where a high concentration of concrete and a lack of green spaces can lead to local temperatures up to 7 F higher than surrounding areas. The area is historically home to Boston’s Black and immigrant communities. […]
Other than feeling excessive heat, residents surrounding Blue Hill Avenue also face adverse health effects because of increased dust and particulate matter in the air from pollution and mold from flooding.
“There are health implications of these issues. For example, asthma due to mold from flooding or due to air pollution,” said Moira Zellner, professor of public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University and co-project lead of Project Common SENSES, a collaboration between Northeastern University, the communities in Roxbury and Dorchester and the City of Boston.
