Assessing the Health Impacts of Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategies in the Cities of Baltimore, Los Angeles, and New York

The research summarized in this report quantifies the impact that typical urban heat island mitigation strategies - such as reflective roofs, cool pavements, and vegetation - have on ambient conditions and mortality during extreme heat events. The study estimated reductions in heat-related mortality in three cities: Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York. The findings of this paper can help urban planners and city officials looking to further quantify the health and life-saving benefits of reducing summer urban heat islands (UHI) with cool surfaces and increased vegetation strategies.

The study found that reflectivity and vegetated cover were equally effective urban cooling strategies and the report offers further insight on these methods of mitigating UHI. The research indicates that deploying such UHI mitigation strategies would save up to 32 lives in Baltimore, 22 lives in Los Angeles, and 219 lives in New York over a 10-year period. In addition, an even larger reduction would be predicted in hospital admissions from heat-related illness.

Outside of these results, the researchers suggest that there are many additional benefits from mitigating urban heat, such as indoor comfort, stormwater management, and energy cost savings that could also be considered by policymakers when developing an urban cooling strategy.

 

According to the report, studies indicate that roofs and pavements make up 60% to 70% of urban surfaces in an average U.S. city; 20% to 30% are roofs and 30% to 45% are pavement (Akbari et al., 2009). Often, these surfaces are dark and absorb more than 80% of sunlight. Solar energy absorbed by pavements becomes heat that sits above the pavement or stays within the surrounding community, creating the urban heat island.

 

 

Publication Date: 2014

Authors or Affiliated Users:

  • Jennifer Vanos
  • Laurence Kalkstein
  • David Sailor
  • Kurt Shickman
  • Scott Sheridan

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Resource Types:

  • Assessment
  • Best practice

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