AUSTIN, Texas — Austin has hot summers. But that heat isn't felt the same way across the city, as anyone who has sweltered in a parking lot or cooled off beneath a tree knows.
The University of Texas at Austin is partnering with the City of Austin, community groups and East Austin residents to find out where hot temperatures are affecting people the most — and proposing solutions to cool down these places.
UT is one of four institutions selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to lead research projects focused on combating extreme heat in urban environments.
"This helps business and communities, and it is helping students to develop a purpose for their research," said project lead Dev Niyogi, a professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering. "They are not simply trying to develop an analysis or a plot. It's a project where what we do means a better life for someone, if we do this right."
The two-year project builds on an Austin heat map created by thevCAPA Heat Watchvprogram last year and has three main goals: creating dynamic heat maps that depict how people experience the heat alongside actual temperature measurements; using those maps to develop strategies to cool down temperature hot spots; and, finally, presenting the data and potential solutions to community members and city decision makers.
The project team includes researchers from UT's School of Architecture, LBJ School of Public Affairs and UT Health Austin, along with geosciences and engineering researchers; the East Austin community health advocacy group Go Austin/Vamos Austin; and the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability.