Houston Endowment has announced grants totaling $8 million to Houston Parks Board and Trees For Houston to increase equitable access to parks and build tree canopy in underserved communities to counter the effects of urban heat islands.

According to the endowment, in neighborhoods across Houston, residents lack convenient access to amenity-rich parks with tree cover and greenspace generally. Houston ranks fourth among U.S. cities with the most intense urban heat, according to an analysis by Climate Central.

The pair of two-year, $4 million grants will bolster existing programs and allow for ongoing care and maintenance of newly planted trees in smaller parks and greenspaces across Houston. They also build on the foundation’s earlier investments of nearly $65 million to improve and increase access to the Buffalo Bayou Park and the Bayou Greenways initiative, which connects citywide trails alongside Houston’s bayous.

“We need to keep pushing for park equity and invest in communities where it’s really needed,” said Houston Parks Board president Beth White.

“We want to pay attention to smaller parks,” said Houston Endowment program director for arts and parks Bao-Long Chu, “[to] enact larger thinking about park equity, especially paying attention to neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to great parks and greenspaces.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ReDunnLev)