Journal article
Electricity inaccessibility across historically redlined and present-day disadvantaged areas in New York City
Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology
22 Apr 2025
PMID: 40263607
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Electricity is crucial in sustaining livelihoods from turning the lights on at night, keeping the refrigerator running to avoid food spoilage, and powering electricity-dependent durable medical equipment such as nebulizers. Thus, electricity inaccessibility may result in adverse outcomes. Like other environmental burdens, electricity inaccessibility may be socially patterned, with disproportionate occurrence in racially and economically marginalized communities.
To evaluate the 2017-2019 distribution of electricity inaccessibility - defined as power outages and energy insecurity - across historical and present-day measures of community racial disadvantage in New York City (NYC).
We measured power outages with NYC 311 outage call reports and the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI). We calculated energy insecurity as monthly average energy use, leveraging data from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. These three electricity inaccessibility metrics were estimated within both historical Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) graded areas (A, 'best' through D, 'redlined') and present-day racial and economic Index of Concentrations at the Extremes (ICE) census tracts quartiles.
Our study covered 396 HOLC areas and 2218 census tracts in NYC. Historically A-graded areas had fewer 311 outage calls and lower SAIFI. Additionally, the rate of 311 outage calls in the present-day most disadvantaged census tracts was nearly six times that of the most privileged tracts. Persistently disadvantaged areas (i.e., both poor HOLC grade and high ICE) had more power outages than consistently advantaged areas. However, the present-day most disadvantaged census tracts still had more power outages than persistently disadvantaged areas.
This 2017-2019 New York City (NYC) study evaluated the distribution of three electricity inaccessibility metrics in relation to community privilege and disadvantage. Uniquely, we assessed the distribution across historically redlined areas and present-day census tracts. We defined electricity inaccessibility as power outages (311 calls and power interruptions) and energy insecurity (residential energy use). We found that 311 calls and power interruptions were more common in historically redlined areas, present-day disadvantaged census tracts, and persistently disadvantaged areas. These findings indicate proxies for historical racial discrimination, such as redlining, and modern-day community disadvantages impact the access to reliable electricity in NYC.
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Details
- Title
- Electricity inaccessibility across historically redlined and present-day disadvantaged areas in New York City
- Creators
- Alexander J Northrop - Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaVivian Do - Columbia UniversityPerry E Sheffield - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiDiana Hernández - Columbia UniversityJane Clougherty - Drexel UniversityJoan A Casey - Columbia University
- Publication Details
- Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology
- Publisher
- Nature
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: P30ES009089, T32ES007322-21 NIEHS: R01ES030717 National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: 1F31HL172608-01 New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
This work was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P30ES009089, T32ES007322-21, NIEHS R01ES030717), and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (1F31HL172608-01). We would like to thank the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for the power interruption data.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Environmental and Occupational Health
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001472173700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105003138721
- Other Identifier
- 991022049009104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Toxicology