Open Spatial Lab and Groundwork Bridgeport awarded $1.7 million to advance tree planting, data inventory, and assessment tool
The Open Spatial Lab at the Data Science Institute and Groundwork Bridgeport, a community-based nonprofit organization with a mission to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the environment, were awarded a $1.7 million dollar grant by the USDA Forest Service. Led by Groundwork Bridgeport, this grant will be used to advance the use of tree data data systems in directing tree planting and equity efforts in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a special focus on communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. All tree planting and data activities during the grant will occur in the 86% of census tracts designated as in need in Bridgeport.
This project is part of $1 billion investment by the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, with competitive grants awarded to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs.
Access to sheltered green space has been shown to do more than offer a bit of shade. Trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, and increased food security, and creation of new economic opportunities, according to the USDA. However, city and municipal governments often lack resources to develop interactive platforms for residents to voice their priorities on tree plantings and maintenance. As part of this project led by Groundwork Bridgeport and in partnership with the City of Bridgeport, the Open Spatial Lab aims to bridge this gap by building a web-based tree data tool that is easy to share, cheap to own and maintain, and highly effective in communicating the real-time progress and impact of tree plantings in urban communities.
“Impact made, not dollars raised, is the most important goal for me in the work we do”, says Christina Smith, President and CEO of Groundwork Bridgeport. “I am excited to be leading this project in partnership with OSL to apply hard data to our urban forestry programming, so that we can more strategically implement and objectively assess the effectiveness of our tree planting initiatives in achieving the benefits that trees provide.” In addition to working with OSL, Groundwork Bridgeport will use this grant to complete a city-wide inventory as well as hire a Data Storyteller to support the project.
OSL will lead building a centralized data and tracking hub designed for monitoring tree planting efforts and tracking Bridgeport community equity metrics. This infrastructure leverages open source software and technology that makes public oversight and involvement in community tree planting efforts more transparent and accessible to the broader community, especially for non-technical audiences. This is particularly relevant in Bridgeport — which shares characteristics with other urban, working class, and disadvantaged communities — where residents have historically not had opportunities to weigh in on public activities. The open source technology can also be adopted and scaled by other cities and municipalities in their tree planting monitoring and evaluation efforts.
“The heart of this grant is the work of Groundwork Bridgeport, engaging the community to create a better Bridgeport. Open source development means that this work can freely be used, built-upon, and remixed by others,” said Dylan Halpern, Technical Lead of the Open Spatial Lab.
This partnership builds on collaboration between Groundwork Bridgeport and OSL that began in 2023, funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. OSL piloted its open source data tool development with Groundwork Bridgeport’s tree planting data, integrated with data visualizations on social determinants of health, aimed at uncovering opportunities for more equitable plantings in Bridgeport.
“Tracking tree planting and canopy cover data can play an important role in the long-term success of greening initiatives — communicating progress, maintaining accountability, and enabling communities to provide timely feedback,” said Susan Paykin, Program Lead of the Open Spatial Lab. “We are thrilled to partner with Groundwork Bridgeport and support their vision of an environmentally and socially thriving city.”