Essential Strategies for Combating Extreme Heat

Cities can protect residents from extreme heat by enhancing natural and built infrastructure, establishing heat response strategies, and implementing national policies for worker safety and disaster response.

2 minute read

July 30, 2024, 9:00 AM PDT

By Clement Lau


Two people helping an older woman outdoors suffering from heat stroke.

New Africa / Adobe Stock

Extreme heat is becoming increasingly common across the United States, with recent records showing the hottest months and years on record. The rising temperatures not only lead to more heat-related deaths but also impose significant economic costs. As Elizabeth Babcock and Michael Shank share in this article, while the long-term solution to this problem involves reducing fossil fuel consumption, there are several immediate actions cities can take to mitigate the impact of extreme heat and protect residents.

One effective approach is enhancing natural and built infrastructure to cool urban environments. Expanding tree canopies, especially in disadvantaged communities, can lower temperatures significantly. Green roofs, reflective cool roofs, and converting community spaces like libraries, recreation centers, and schools into cooling centers are practical measures. Additionally, creating resilience hubs in various community spaces can provide essential services and support year-round, helping residents cope with extreme heat.

Human and policy infrastructure also play crucial roles in mitigating heat impacts. Cities can appoint chief heat officers to coordinate heat response efforts across all departments and develop comprehensive heat strategies. Partnering with community groups to distribute cooling resources and focusing on efficient, low-carbon cooling solutions are essential steps. Nationally, establishing a heat safety standard for workers and creating a disaster declaration capacity for heat at the federal level are necessary to protect public health and ensure a robust response to extreme heat events.

To learn more, please read the source article.

Monday, July 22, 2024 in Fast Company

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive