Heat Watch Project featured in ‘Urban Climate’ article

Karin Warren

Karin Warren and a group of co-authors recently had their manuscript “Virginia Heat Watch: Collaboration to Assess Climate Vulnerability at Local to Regional Scales ” published in the journal Urban Climate. 

The paper summarizes a collaborative research project to map urban heat and understand climate risks in 10 Virginia localities. 

The majority of urban heat studies focus on large cities, but this study mapped temperature and potential heat hazard for 10 small to mid-sized cities and towns in Virginia. They found that neighborhoods with more people of color and those affected by historical redlining (unfair housing practices) tended to be hotter, which points to issues of environmental justice. 

In smaller localities, factors like education level and job status were better at predicting hot areas than traditional environmental justice measures. 

Overall, the study highlights that urban heat is pervasive throughout Virginia and that urban planning and socioeconomic conditions play a significant role in creating these temperature differences. Read the full article at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212095524004498.