During a summer in which cities across the U.S. are experiencing exceptionally high temperatures, Indiana University students and faculty are working with the City of Bloomington to develop an extreme heat action plan for the community.
The plan is being informed by collaborations spanning urban heat education, outreach, data collection and analysis. The results of these activities will help city leaders identify vulnerable neighborhoods, prioritize tree plantings and guide placement of cooling resources as they draft the plan.
“We’re seeing an increase in extreme heat events—across the Midwest and across the country,” said Dana Habeeb, an assistant professor at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering whose Healthy Cities Lab is collaborating with city staff. “There’s a lot of health risks that can come from extreme heat, so we’re starting to see cities and states that have traditionally focused on winter events think more about extreme summer events.”
Heat waves are the deadliest type of extreme weather event, killing more people each year than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. The risks of extreme heat can be especially high in urban areas, where paved surfaces and minimal green space contribute to scorching ambient temperatures.
In Indiana and elsewhere, climate change is exacerbating the intensity and duration of heat waves. While daytime highs above 90 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon in the state, their occurrence is becoming more frequent and projected to nearly triple by mid-century. At the same time, nighttime temperatures in the Midwest are rising much faster than the historical average, a trend that can be especially hazardous for people without access to cooling.
