Redesigning the Urban Environment for Extreme Heat

Description:

To adapt to climate change, we need to build our cities like we did in the past – moving towards a climate-responsive urban design. I will talk about the increasing risks posed by heat and the proven, cost-effective solutions to mitigate its impacts. This includes large-scale efforts to increase greenery; lightening streets, rooftops, and the right of way (which can represent up to 30-35% of total land area in cities) to absorb less heat; and better building design. I will use concrete examples from cities such as Milan, LA, NYC, Nashville, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Medellin to show how cities are adapting to the realities of a changing environment and extreme heat and outline how they need to be bolder and more aggressive as temperatures rise and more people flock to cities.