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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
These are the warm bubbles of air created by urban areas.
Dark roads, dark roofs, hard surfaces such as concrete and brick, cars, lack of vegetation, and air conditioners can contribute to these. Our increasing temperatures, are causing longer and more deadly heat waves, droughts, and atmospheric changes that combine with heat islands to make urban areas increasingly deadly to humans.
Using historical data of some of the most deadly heatwaves, scientists have found the social support, political actions, and urban designs that protect human life, vs those that cause unnecessary deaths.
Using this information, we can ensure that our communities remain robust against these climate threats, we can design cooler communities that use passive, sustainable alternatives to some of the problematic "solutions" which actually further endanger us. For example the danger that modern AC units pose with exhaust heat, coolant emissions, and power-usage. Strategies as seemingly minute as picking appropriate building materials, and landscaping to capture rain to grow more trees can provide a multitude of benefits beyond just cooling homes and cities.
1:08 minute video
Dangers of Heat Island Effect
Dangers of Heat Island Effect
Heat-Related Illness & Death
Heat-Related Illness & Death
Vulnerable Populations
Vulnerable Populations
In Europe, it's estimated that almost half of hospitals and schools are located inside of heat islands, putting society's most vulnerable populations into danger posed by the heat-related health risks associated with these spaces.
Heat Islands Influence Weather
Heat Islands Influence Weather
Influence on Storm Structures
Influence on Storm Structures
"The structures of storms often change when they approach a major city, or urban heat island, diverting into two cells to avoid it and then consolidating once they pass." - The Weather Network
Heat Islands Create New Storms
Heat Islands Create New Storms
1:34 minute video showing radar examples of storms being formed by actual cities.
Heat Island Increase Precipitation
Heat Island Increase Precipitation
Urban heat islands can double a cloud's size, which in turn increases the amount of rain received down wind. - The Weather Channel (via YouTube)
Factors like this can lead to historical levels of flooding.
Causes & Exacerbators of Heat Island Effect
Causes & Exacerbators of Heat Island Effect
Modern Building Design & Materials
Modern Building Design & Materials
This phenomena is caused when concrete and other urban materials absorb heat from the sun, and dissipate it at night, when temperatures are supposed to drop. The less greenery a location has, and the more heat-absorbent materials, the worse the heat island effect will be.
Transit System Emissions & Design
Transit System Emissions & Design
Not only does our global transit system still produce a massive percentage of global greenhouse emissions, but the vehicles, roadways, tarmacs, and parking spaces absorb considerable heat, thus contributing to urban heat islands.
ICE Transit
ICE Transit
Internal Combustion Engines emit greenhouse gases as well as other harmful pollutants. These not only cause global warming, but begin to trap heat in the immediate area where they are emitted.
Solutions
Solutions
4:56 minute video explains concepts such as urban canyons, and how changes in architecture and local greening can create a patchwork of solutions that add up to significant decreases in energy use and heat emissions.
Increase & Protect Greenspaces & Green Infrastructure
Increase & Protect Greenspaces & Green Infrastructure
These are vital for human health, providing cleaner air, better mental health, cooler temperatures, among many other benefits to communities and local wildlife.
Greenbelts & Greenways
Greenbelts & Greenways
These can also function as hike and bike trails within your community. They are excellent for flood control, especially when paired with riparian areas. Greenbelts and greenways not only help connect communities, allowing people to travel safely, and away from the pollutants or noise of cars, as well as wildlife who can use these greenspaces to find food or mates in the surrounding area.
Riparian areas along waterways help protect water bodies from pollutants as well as the hot sun. Water shortages and water pollution can become much worse in deforested areas, due to increased water temperatures and increased evaporation. Planting and protecting trees along waterways boosts biodiversity and protects our local water sources all in one go!
Green Roofs
Green Roofs
These provide additional insulation in both hot and cold weather, reducing energy use and emissions during both extremes. The foliage adds to local biodiversity in an out of the way place, though they can also be designed to include a patio or paths for maintenance or simply walking around the roof garden.
Outdoor Vertical Gardens
Outdoor Vertical Gardens
When constructed outside, either against walls or as free-standing installations, they can help clean up our air while providing cooling shade within the community.
Sponge Cities
Sponge Cities
The primary focus of a sponge city, is to prevent dangerous or destructive flooding, and on the flip side - to help sequester water into the soil and aquifers which helps protect sponge cities from future droughts and ground subsidence.
Increased biodiversity, cleaner air and water, as well as decreased heat island effect are bonus benefits!
All of the above features such as green roofs and greenways can all contribute to the design of a sponge city.
Transit System Changes
Transit System Changes
Car-Free Solutions
Car-Free Solutions
Studies have found that storms are worse on weekdays when more people are commuting, indicating that our driving habits are enough to exacerbate the heat island effect. Unfortunately, higher temperatures can encourage people to drive more, since it allows them to use A/C and potentially spend less time traveling, which can create a viscous cycle of increased temperatures driving people to make choices that further increase temperatures. Finding alternatives to driving in private vehicles can do a lot to help protect us all from high temperatures as we move into the future.
Greenbelts & Greenways
Greenbelts & Greenways
In addition to their function as car-free transit routes for active travelers, the greenery surrounding the trails helps absorb greenhouse gases and provides shelter to those using the paths. Even the nearby buildings and roads can benefit from the temperature reduction provided by trees and other plants.
Choose Light Colours
Choose Light Colours
Light colours are more reflective meaning white or pale surfaces tend to be cooler than darker colours, especially black. This works both for vehicles, as well as the roads and parking lot surfaces. In places where it is impractical to rip up a dark surface area, councils are instead paying workers to paint them white, which has helped to cool their communities and roadways.
Building Materials & Design
Building Materials & Design
Passive Designs for Buildings
Passive Designs for Buildings
Building Materials
Building Materials
Low-Emissions Heating & Cooling Solutions
Low-Emissions Heating & Cooling Solutions
High Efficiency Heat Pumps
High Efficiency Heat Pumps
These use a fraction of the energy that is usually required to heat or cool a building, by using het sources such as geothermal, the air outside, a nearby body of water, or even thermal waste from businesses.
Solar
Solar
Unfortunately solar panels don't work as efficiently in hot weather, and since they tend to be black, they can also raise temperatures slightly. Despite this, the shade they produce can help protect plants such as crops on farms or the roofs of buildings.
Green Roofs with Solar
Green Roofs with Solar
Scientists have found that pairing plants with solar helps protect the plants from weather extremes, while cooling the panels, which in turn makes them work more efficiently.
Rooftop solar with plants were both cooler and more productive than rooftop solar panels without the benefit of nearby plants.
Wind
Wind
District Heating
District Heating
This type of heating can reduce emissions and energy waste, especially when using heat or energy that might otherwise go to waste, for example thermal waste, geothermal energy, or excess energy produced by renewables.
North America
North America
USA
USA
New York
NYC CoolRoofs Initiative "provides New Yorkers with paid training and work experience installing energy-saving reflective rooftops. The program supports the City of New York's goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
This initiative is a partnership between the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), its Workforce1 Industrial & Transportation Career Center, the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and The HOPE Program."
Resources & Guides
Resources & Guides
Heat Island Group, Berkley Lab: Resources Click the tabs at the top of the page to search their guides, product directories, technical resources, and conferences/workshops.
North America
North America
USA
USA
Kentucky
Neighborhood Based Heat Management Strategies "Download this excel spreadsheet to use as a tool for neighborhood level intervention. The worksheet contains the cool roofing, cool paving, tree planting, barren land-to-grass conversions and green roofing targets suggested by the Urban Heat Management Study for each neighborhood in the urban core zone, as well as for the remainder of Louisville Metro falling outside of established neighborhood boundaries. The Urban Heat Management Study found that if all strategies were adopted in combination, temperature reductions could exceed 5oF in certain areas on hot afternoons."
Organizations
Organizations
North America
North America
USA
USA
California
The Heat Island Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory "works to cool buildings, cities, and the planet by making roofs, pavements, and cars cooler in the sun."
Texas
HARC "applies science to drive energy, air, water, and resilience solutions for a sustainable and equitable future."
Grants & Funding
Grants & Funding
North America
North America
USA
USA
South Carolina
Beat the Heat —Plant a Tree "a joint initiative by the City of Columbia and Columbia Green to plant 1,750 new shade trees on private property over the next five years at no cost to property owners."
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