Urban Heat Islands

Urban heat islands are zones of elevated temperatures that form from high concentrations of dark, heat-retaining surfaces like asphalt and concrete​.

Albedo is how much of the sun’s energy is reflected, this affects how much heat is trapped near the ground​, Albedo is impacted by factors like greenery, building height, street width and housing density.

New Orleans was ranked 1st out of 158 U.S. cities with the most intense heat island.

Urban tree canopy loss after Hurricane Katrina, particularly in low-lying neighborhoods combine additional heat vulnerability threats such as impervious surfaces, with health disparities, historic redlining, and poor energy efficiency​. The impact on health, heat disparities & exposure dynamics are poorly understood.

More information

New Orleans Health Department Extreme Heat https://nola.gov/health-department/climate/extreme-heat/

National Integrated Heat Health Information System https://www.heat.gov/

New Orleans Ranks As Worst Heat Island In U.S. https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2021-07-15/new-orleans-ranks-as-worst-heat-island-in-u-s

Trust for Public Land’s National Climate-Smart Cities program https://web.tplgis.org/nola_csc/