Exploring Community Co-Creation in Tree Planting and Heat-Related Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Overview of Participants and Interviews
2.2. Co-Creation Interviews and Inductive Coding
2.2.1. Co-Creation Interview Process
2.2.2. Inductive Coding Analysis
2.3. Other Interviews and Deductive Coding
2.3.1. Community and Urban Forestry Interviews
2.3.2. Deductive Coding Analysis
2.4. Member Checking and Research Co-Creation
3. Results
3.1. Inductive Data Analysis
- Environmental justice and health equity are interlinked and at the heart of this research;
- Religious and spiritual communities are important touchpoints in urban greening research;
- Intergenerational engagement ensures intergenerational inclusion;
- Human–environment relationships vary by individual and community;
- Community building makes co-creation and knowledge sharing between communities and researchers possible.
3.1.1. Inductive Analysis: Environmental Justice and Health Equity Are Interlinked and at the Heart of This Research
3.1.2. Inductive Analysis: Religious and Spiritual Communities Are Important Touchpoints in Urban Greening Research
3.1.3. Inductive Analysis: Intergenerational Engagement Ensures Intergenerational Inclusion
3.1.4. Inductive Analysis: Human–Environment Relationships Vary by Individual and Community
3.1.5. Inductive Analysis: Community Building Makes Co-Creation and Knowledge Sharing Between Communities and Researchers Possible
3.2. Deductive Coding Analysis of Other Interviews
3.2.1. Deductive Analysis: Environmental Justice and Health Equity Are Interlinked and at the Heart of This Research
3.2.2. Deductive Analysis: Religious and Spiritual Communities Are Important Touchpoints in Urban Greening Research
3.2.3. Deductive Analysis: Intergenerational Engagement Ensures Intergenerational Inclusion
3.2.4. Deductive Analysis: Human–Environment Relationships Vary by Individual and Community and Community Building Makes Co-Creation and Knowledge Sharing Between Communities and Researchers Possible
3.3. Results of Member Checking and Research Co-Creation
4. Discussion
4.1. Discussion of Emergent Themes
4.2. Comparing Co-Creation Interviews and Other Interviews
4.3. Reflection on the Co-Creation Process
4.4. Limitations and Future Work
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
CAB | Community Advisory Board |
NYC | New York City |
References
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Interview Type | Description | Number of Participants | Number of Interviews | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
Co-Creation Interviews | Interviews that addressed how we can establish community co-creation and engagement throughout our research process. Questions for the Community Interviews were workshopped in these meetings as well | 6 | 6 | Community leaders in Harlem, New York City |
Urban Forestry Interviews | Interviews that explore the abstract and practical considerations of tree planting and management related to cooling | 10 | 5 | Urban tree professionals in the contiguous United States (Chicago, IL, USA; Durham, NC, USA; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia, PA, USA) |
Community Interviews | Interviews that explore community perceptions around trees and urban greening as a solution to heat | 5 | 5 | Community leaders in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods in New York City (Chinatown, Manhattan; Flatlands, Brooklyn; Harlem, Manhattan; South Bronx) |
Theme | Description |
---|---|
Environmental justice and health equity are interlinked and at the heart of this research |
|
Religious and spiritual communities are important touchpoints in urban greening research |
|
Intergenerational engagement ensures intergenerational inclusion |
|
Human–environment relationships vary by individual and community |
|
Community building makes co-creation and knowledge sharing between communities and researchers possible |
|
Theme | Similarities | Differences |
---|---|---|
Environmental justice and health equity are interlinked and at the heart of this research |
|
|
Religious and spiritual communities are important touchpoints in urban greening research |
|
|
Intergenerational engagement ensures intergenerational inclusion |
|
|
Human–environment relationships vary by individual and community |
|
|
Community building makes co-creation and knowledge sharing between communities and researchers possible |
|
|
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Share and Cite
Keenan, O.J.; Green, A.R.; Young, A.R.; Young, S.R.; Katz, D.S.W.; Miller, D.L.; Xi, W.; Lo, F.; Ortiz, E.; McMillan, G.; et al. Exploring Community Co-Creation in Tree Planting and Heat-Related Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060896
Keenan OJ, Green AR, Young AR, Young SR, Katz DSW, Miller DL, Xi W, Lo F, Ortiz E, McMillan G, et al. Exploring Community Co-Creation in Tree Planting and Heat-Related Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(6):896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060896
Chicago/Turabian StyleKeenan, Olivia J., Aalayna R. Green, Alexander R. Young, Sarah R. Young, Daniel S. W. Katz, David L. Miller, Wenna Xi, Fiona Lo, Evelyn Ortiz, Glenn McMillan, and et al. 2025. "Exploring Community Co-Creation in Tree Planting and Heat-Related Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 6: 896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060896
APA StyleKeenan, O. J., Green, A. R., Young, A. R., Young, S. R., Katz, D. S. W., Miller, D. L., Xi, W., Lo, F., Ortiz, E., McMillan, G., Archer, C. L., & Ghosh, A. K. (2025). Exploring Community Co-Creation in Tree Planting and Heat-Related Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(6), 896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060896