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Household accessibility to heat refuges: Residential air conditioning, public cooled space, and walkability

Publication date: 2017-04-10

Author(s):

  • Andrew Fraser, Arizona State University
  • Mikhail Chester, Arizona State University

Abstract:

Access to air conditioned space has been identified as a critical protective element that can mitigate the adverse health effects of heat waves. However, there is limited knowledge of where this resource exists in cities. While many cities have deployed networks of sponsored cooling centers their location is likely to be inadequately informed with respect to the location of existing resources. This study explores the distribution of in-home air-conditioning and household access to public cooling resources in Maricopa County, AZ. There are significant variations in the distribution of private and public air conditioned space and there are areas where access to these spaces is limited which could increase health risks during periods of extreme heat.

Keywords:


Temporal Coverage:

2014-06-01 to 2016-07-15

Geographic Coverage:

Geographic Description: Maricopa County, AZ
Bounding Coordinates:
Longitude:-113.33 to -111.03
Latitude:34.05 to 32.5

Contact:

Data Manager, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, 
PO Box 875402,Tempe
 caplter.data@asu.edu

Methods used in producing this dataset: Show


Data Files (1) :

Spatial Vector: 644_Maricopa_Cooling_Access_8a1c38d6c1d7ebc49e8b3a25550107a9.zip

Description: Shapefile detailing (1) the proportion of dwelling units in census tracts of Maricopa County, AZ with central air conditioning, and/or evaporative cooling, and (2) an index of accessibility to public cooling resources within census tracts of Maricopa County, AZ
Horizontal Coordinate System:GCS_WGS_1984
Geometry Type: Point

Column Description Type Units
OBJECTID unique identifier of object within table
float number
FIPS Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code
float number
CentralAir decimal fraction of dwelling units within census tract with central air conditioning
float dimensionless
Evaporativ decimal fraction of dwelling units within census tract with evaporative cooling
float dimensionless
Access index of accessibility to public cooling resources
float dimensionless

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