Evaluating urban climate plans for heat preparedness

Abstract

As climate change continues to intensify temperature extremes across the world, it is critical to understand the impacts of extreme heat events and plan strategies for heat adaptation and mitigation. In this study, we evaluate and compare thirteen climate-related plans of six American cities that are not subject to the hottest climates in the US, but instead have only recently begun dealing with extreme heat: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Louisville, Minneapolis, and New York City. We find great variety in the quality of municipal plans for both heat mitigation and heat management in terms of the breadth and strength of relevant policies as well as implementation mechanisms. More specifically, vegetative cover, traffic reduction, and building efficiency improvements are the most frequent and thorough policies across plans, while several others are largely omitted. Furthermore, heat management measures and targeted actions to address equity and vulnerability are barely addressed in these plans. Some American cities’ climate plans set them up for success in preparing for extreme heat, but attention to health outcomes lags behind heat mitigation. Among the studied Midwest and Northeast cities, NYC leads the way.