This information is out of date and will be updated with a summary of what these maps showcase as our team has time to develop this report and update it. Recently Summit County’s Health Department removed the map features from their website, hindering the active development of updating this project. We have been working on surveying health disparities in East Akron at our events and will continue to fight for ways to document the impact of the plastics industry on Akron’s residents.
A slideshow of maps that are no longer updated or kept publicly available by the Summit County of Public Health. Below is our original project introduction.
Big Love Network is excited to announce our partnership with Summit County Public Health to conduct a cohesive health equity assessment of Akron’s historically redlined neighborhoods.
Akron Ohio has a .5 GINI Coefficient that has continued to rise over the years. This shows that our income inequality is more comparable to San Francisco than any other Ohio city, likely due to the historically environmentally racist urban planning decisions made by the city. Environmentally, these areas are also filled with Superfund sites, waste sites, historically polluted waterways, high rates of black mold and asbestos, and issues that contribute to the heat island effect. Akron’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) 1939 Residential Security Map nearly mirrors census-based maps outlining both mental and physical health disparities (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, lower life expectancy) in historically segregated geographic areas.
Big Love Network is working with Summit County Public Health to create an easily accessible GIS Map overlay to demonstrate the overlapping environmental, physical, and mental health issues that these areas experience. Following the creation of this interactive map our neighbor-led teams will be going out to survey the communities most impacted to better understand how to move forward with mitigating the causes of these disparities. We will then continue to conduct assessments on a semi-regular basis to best ensure measurable change.