By Lori Aratani, Image: the University of Arizona, The Washington Post, July 8, 2022
A growing number of cities are searching for strategies to offset the effects of higher temperatures on their communities. In the D.C. region, eight of the 10 hottest summers on record have occurred since 2010, according to The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.
Ladd Keith is an assistant professor of planning and sustainable-built environments at the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Keith and a team of researchers are exploring how communities can create “cool corridors” that take into account thermal comfort and safety. In one project, they are collaborating with the city of Tucson to examine whether innovations such as cooler pavement surfacescan make walking and biking more tolerable and extend the life of streets and roads.
Keith said it’s important for leaders to understand the effect rising temperatures can have on communities and why cities should consider incorporating heat-resilience strategies into infrastructure planning. He’s also co-author of a guidebook on how communities can plan for urban heat resilience. This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.
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