Urban Heat Island Effect
‘Smart Surfaces’ Policy Guide Offers Advice for Building and Maintaining Urban Tree Canopies
Healthy, robust tree canopies can reduce the impacts of extreme heat and improve air quality.
Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards
Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Planting Relief: Tackling Las Vegas Heat One Tree at a Time
Nevada Plants, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, is combating the city’s extreme urban heat by giving away trees to residents in underserved neighborhoods, promoting shade, sustainability, and community health.
How AI Is Revolutionizing Urban Forestry and Climate Resilience
Tree-D Fusion, an AI-driven tool developed by MIT and Purdue researchers, generates 3D models of urban trees to help city planners visualize future green spaces, address climate challenges, and enhance urban livability and sustainability.
Phoenix Shade Plan Focuses on Bus Stops
The city’s updated Shade Master Plan calls for trees and built structures at bus stops to protect residents from heat.
Cities Prioritize Urban Reforestation to Combat Heat and Revitalize Communities
Cities like Phoenix, Chicago, and Boise are prioritizing urban reforestation as critical green infrastructure to combat extreme heat, address environmental inequities, and foster community revitalization.
A Framework for Inclusive Tree Planting in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective has developed an equity-centered tree-planting framework and toolkit to address historic underinvestment and mitigate extreme heat in vulnerable neighborhoods.
Shifts in Shopping: Transforming Malls Into Parks
Maybe zombie malls still have a second life — one with a little greenery.
Improving South Los Angeles Through Strategic Tree Planting
The University of Southern California Urban Trees Initiative is planting 250 trees in South L.A. neighborhoods to improve shade, combat climate change, and enhance community well-being through collaboration and data-driven approaches.
Phoenix Announces Shade Action Plan
The city has outlined 11 strategic priorities aimed at addressing the risks of extreme heat and protecting vulnerable residents from its impacts.
Quantifying How Urban Trees Cool Cities
A new tool can help cities understand the benefits of tree planting efforts at the municipal scale.
Research Shows Cool Pavement Coatings Can Raise Ambient Temperature
Coatings that reflect heat can make the air feel warmer for people standing on and around these surfaces.
Urban Trees Have Bigger Impact in Hot, Dry Cities
The cooling effect of robust urban tree canopies is more pronounced in hotter, drier cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas.
DC’s Hottest Neighborhoods Have the Least Shade
Areas most exposed to extreme heat also tend to lack bus shelters and benches at bus stops.
Green Schoolyards Offer Respite From Urban Heat
More schools are transforming asphalt-covered playgrounds into shady oases that help reduce temperatures and absorb emissions.
Study: Urban Trees Lose Cooling Benefits in Extreme Heat
A robust tree canopy can help reduce the urban heat island effect and lower air temperatures, but the impact is reduced as temperatures rise.
Advancing Sustainability and Resilience Through Parks
The Urban Land Institute offers fact sheets describing five innovative ways that parks can reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate threats while advancing health, equity, and quality of life in urban areas.
Addressing the Perils of Extreme Heat
With this year bringing on more record heat waves, governments at the local and federal levels are elevating extreme heat management as an urgent priority.
Invasive Beetles Put Oregon Forests at Risk
Two recently discovered borer beetles could lead to a significant loss of tree canopy.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
