Urban man-made materials such as concrete or asphalt “store” heat during the day and slowly release it at night, a phenomenon known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. In contrast, less built-up areas with added green spaces and trees provide cooling through evaporation and shade. Over the past decades, our changing climate has led to increased temperatures and more frequent and severe heat waves. By 2070, it is expected that Boston may experience up to 90 days of 90-degree F maximum daily air temperatures each summer. In combination with the UHI effect, cities are slated to remain “hot spots” long after the sun has set if no additional opportunity for cooling is provided.

This EBC Climate Change webinar will inform about risks from increasing temperatures in cities, discuss vulnerabilities such as health issues, and address counter measures Boston and Cambridge have taken. Solutions span from raising awareness and education to implementation measures. Experts from Phoenix, Arizona and Boston will address policy, zoning, and educational measures and share some of the tools they are developing to cool down entire neighborhoods, (street) corridors, and buildings. In addition to scalability of urban heat solutions, our webinar will highlight a variety of different solutions and applications including robotics and infrared measures, as well as Green Infrastructure measures and specific shade materials.

A robust panel discussion with the audience will conclude the webinar.