Adapting to Urban Heat: A Tool Kit for Local Governments

Cities are warming at an extraordinary rate. Unique landscapes and built environments create neighbourhoods known as “heat islands” that are significantly hotter than surrounding areas. This tool kit is designed to help local governments reduce the effects of increased heat on their communities and citizens. It provides an analytic tool for policy makers to consider a combination of four built-environment changes (cool roofs, green roofs, cool pavements, and urban forestry), providing clear criteria for selecting among these approaches.