Across Metro, rich neighbourhoods are cooler than their lower-income neighbours

In Metro Vancouver’s lowest-income neighbourhood, the median income is $100,000 lower – and the surface temperature nearly 20°C hotter – than Metro’s wealthiest neighbourhood.

Temperatures in the Downtown Eastside – with it’s “hyper-urbanized” landscape and limited tree cover – are among the highest in the city. Much higher than wealthier neighbourhoods of Shaunessey or Dunbar.

In Surrey, parts of Whalley, which contains the census tract with the lowest income in the city, were more than seven degrees hotter than some wealthier South Surrey neighbouhoods.

Surface temperatures in Langley City were among the highest found in the anaysis. Even still, the two census tracts with the highest median income were several degrees cooler than the others.

One of the starkest discrepancies was found in West Vancouver where the wealthiest census tract was almost 15 degrees cooler than the lowest-income one.