Extreme heat is an increasing climate risk for cities and the health of their residents across the world, due to the combination of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and climate change.
Extreme heat is an increasing climate risk for cities and the health of their residents across the world, due to the combination of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and climate change.
This masterclass presents the current state and innovations in urban planning, design and governance for extreme heat, offer insight into the diverse disciplinary perspectives on extreme heat governance, and offer strategies for enhancing community engagement for sustained extreme heat planning efforts.
Learning Objectives
- To learn the current state of urban planning practice and research for extreme heat
- To identify recent examples of urban planning and design innovations for heat health
- To consider the diverse disciplinary perspectives on local extreme heat governance to improve public health outcomes
- To select strategies for enhancing and evaluating community engagement related to planning for extreme heat
Download presentations
Lessons
A. Innovations in Heat Planning and Research and Practice
B. Innovations in Heat Planning and Research and Practice
Community participation in heat governance
Tutors

David Hondula
Arizona State University
David Hondula is an Associate Professor of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University and volunteer faculty affiliate of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. His research focuses on the social and health effects of natural and technological hazards, with an emphasis on extreme heat and power failures. He works closely with local, regional, and state authorities on the development and implementation of plans and programs to make communities safer and more resilient to extreme events. Hondula received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, and has additional training from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Umea University, Sweden. He is an editorial board member for Environmental Health Perspectives and serves as a board member for the American Meteorological Society's Board on Environment and Health.
Read More
Ladd Keith
University of Arizona
Ladd Keith, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning at The University of Arizona. An urban planner by training, he has over a decade of experience planning for climate change with diverse stakeholders in cities across the U.S. His current research explores heat planning and governance with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institute for Transportation & Communities. He served a full term on the City of Tucson’s Planning Commission and chaired the development and adoption of the city’s comprehensive plan. He also founded and leads the Sustainable Built Environments undergraduate degree program which is offered in person, fully online, and at the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas in Lima, Peru. He has a Ph.D. in Arid Lands Resource Science and an MS in Planning from The University of Arizona.
Read More
Sara Meerow
Arizona State University
Sara Meerow is an assistant professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. She is an interdisciplinary social-ecological systems scientist working at the intersection of urban geography and planning. Her research tackles the challenge of how to make cities more resilient in the face of climate change and other social and environmental hazards. She combines more conceptual studies of urban resilience with empirical research on the complexities of urban resilience, green infrastructure, and climate change adaptation planning in a range of cities.
Read MoreModerator

Roop Singh
Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Roop Singh is the Climate Risk Adviser at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and provides technical support to disaster managers and adaptation practitioners to access, interpret and use climate risk information for decision-making. Roop supports the Climate Centre’s urban portfolio with a focus on heat risk, including co-authoring the Climate Centre's Heatwave Guide for Cities and a companion guide for CSOs and leading engagement on advancing heat reserach and action planning. She is also the host of the 'Can't Take the Heat' podcast on how people can adapt to climate issues like more frequent and intense heatwaves.
Read More