As heat waves become more frequent and severe, hospitals are seeing more patients admitted with serious, sometimes life-threatening burns from asphalt and other outdoor surfaces.
Severe burns from contact with hot outdoor surfaces are becoming more common in the Southwest, where temperatures are hitting record highs.
According to an article by Adeel Hassan and Isabelle Taft in The New York Times, unhoused people, the elderly, and children are among some of the groups most vulnerable to these types of burns. Patients often require surgery and, in some cases, the burns can be fatal.
When air temperature rises, surfaces like asphalt and concrete become superheated. “For example, when the air temperature in Las Vegas reaches 115 degrees — as it did seven days in a row last week — the pavement temperature can climb to 160 degrees. At that intensity, it takes a few seconds of contact to sustain a second-degree burn, and a few minutes to get a third-degree burn.”
In 2023, The Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix admitted 136 patients for contact burns, 14 of whom died. So far this year, 50 patients have been admitted and four have died.
FULL STORY: Burns From Scorching-Hot Sidewalks and Roads Are Rising, and Can Be Fatal
Extreme Heat Responsible for Growing Death Rates Among Unhoused People
Extreme heat events like the ‘heat dome’ that baked Southern California last summer kill a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness, who have fewer resources to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
Study: Heat Deaths on the Rise, Predicted to Increase
As intense heat waves become more common, the risk of heat-related deaths is rising.
Thousands of NYC Shelter Residents Lack Air Conditioning
Even in the depths of extreme heat, many shelters prohibit residents from installing AC units.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.
Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland