Title
Office of Heat Response and Mitigation Overview and Discussion
Description
This report provides an update on the City's work to mitigate urban heat and an overview of the new Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
Extreme heat is one of the deadliest climate hazards and a major challenge for health, infrastructure, and economic productivity in our City. Climate predictions indicate temperatures will continue to increase and heat waves will occur more often and last longer.
Urban heat does not affect all people equally. Impacts are concentrated in lower income, racial and ethnic minority households in parts of the City with less vegetation and higher temperatures. Outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness, and other vulnerable populations such as those living in poorly insulated homes, face the brunt of heat-related impacts. While most residences in Phoenix have some form of mechanical cooling, the cost of electricity and repairs to air conditioning is a barrier to sufficient cooling for more than 25 percent of Phoenix households.
Extreme heat events are not the only concern. Since the 1950s, the average night-time temperature in central Phoenix has risen by nine degrees as a result of the urban heat island effect - a phenomenon caused by increasing amounts of hardscape and concrete surfaces that capture and store heat during the day and release it more slowly in the evening hours than in the surrounding desert, as well as waste heat emitted by vehicles, air conditioners, and other sources.
In the face of these worsening problems, as part of the City's Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 Budget, the Mayor and Council approved a new, first of its kind Office of Heat Response and Mitigation (OHRM) in the City Manager's Office. The OHRM will work to comprehensively address the public health threat of rising temperatures, meet the goals of the Tree and Shade Master Plan, and help create and implement data-driven strategies for buildings and infrastructure in the City to reduce the urban heat island effect, all in support of the heat-related goals in the proposed Climate Action Plan. The Office includes a Tree and Shade Administrator as recommended by the City's Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission. Specifically, the OHRM has four key initial charges:
- Coordinate interdepartmental and regional efforts associated with immediate heat relief;
- Identify mid- and long-term heat mitigation strategies and opportunities associated with trees and vegetation, green infrastructure and low impact development, and heat-mitigation technologies and materials;
- Develop innovative solutions to continue Phoenix's leadership in heat readiness; and
- Coordinate with partners including peer cities, universities, the business community, utilities, and nonprofit organizations to share best practices and leverage funding opportunities.
The OHRM will build upon the strong foundation of leadership Phoenix has established regarding urban heat. Over the last decade the City has taken actions ranging from activating the regional Heat Relief Network each summer, expanding shade opportunities available to transit users, enacting policies to keep summer hikers safe, to collaborating to design, from the ground up, redevelopment of the Edison Eastlake CHOICE Neighborhood as a model heat resilient community. In 2017 the City engaged with researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) to create awareness and begin developing a comprehensive urban heat mitigation and adaptation plan. This work was the basis of HeatReadyPHX, a collaboration with ASU and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, among others, and includes a HeatReady Certification for cities (modeled after the StormReady Certification) that will assess and certify heat readiness based on staff and investment, cooling strategies, and resources available for residents, among other criteria. HeatReadyPHX earned recognition and financial support for Phoenix as a Champion City in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' 2018 Mayors Challenge.
Consensus and momentum for action on urban heat is growing throughout greater Phoenix, and OHRM will participate as fully as possible in the Arizona Heat Resilience Working Group, Cooling Center Response Network, and other collaborative efforts in support of regional heat governance. Creation of the OHRM is an important step to coordinate the City's efforts, continue to engage the community, and be a point of contact to partner with others and leverage the work toward measurable outcomes.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Karen Peters and the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.