CUERE Seminar Series - Dr. Elie Bou-Zeid

Over the past two decades, urban heat islands (UHIs) have emerged as a central theme of research into how cities perturb the environment and adversely impact human health and well-being. The combined risk of UHIs and exacerbating heat waves due to global warming has also become a threat that many cities around the world are trying the plan for and adapt to. A challenge for city planners and managers is that most published studies either focus on a handful of cities (case studies) and their findings are not necessarily transferable, or cover the entire world (global intercomparisons) such that their findings are not cast in a framework that is amenable to local, city-specific action. In this talk, we offer a framework to help city planners identify the main criteria they should consider when developing their heat mitigation plans, cast as a series of questions that cities can focus on and then browse the literature to find answers for that apply to their city. Why are you trying to cool your city? Which UHI exactly are you trying to mitigate? Where in the city are you aiming to reduce extreme temperatures? When (time of day, average period) do you want your cooling benefits to be maximized? How long is your mitigation plan time-horizon? What heat mitigation actions and solutions are most effective in your city? Who is responsible for planning, financing, and executing the heat mitigation plan?