Urban Sprawl: How Expanding Cities Are Making Us All Hotter

It’s almost impossible to escape the impact of a particularly hot summer this year. Climate change is one culprit, but there are other reasons many of us are suffering under oppressive heat.

1 in 10 Americans

Large cities nationwide have continued to expand both upward and outward in an effort to support growing populations. But all of this construction has had a detrimental impact on the perceived temperature … particularly during the dog days of summer.

Due to a phenomenon known as the “urban heat island” — or UHI — effect, folks living in dozens of metropolitan areas feel significantly hotter than they would outside of the city.

The nonprofit organization Climate Central conducted a wide-ranging study that created a guide to the places most acutely impacted by this problem:

• Almost 34 million Americans live in urban areas that make it feel at least 8 degrees hotter.
• In many New York City neighborhoods, residents perceive temperatures about 10 degrees higher.
• Based on design, neighboring communities can experience dramatically different temperatures.

While the most alarming UHI spikes are confined to 65 major cities, even smaller communities are experiencing the same impact to a lesser extent.

Identifying the cause

Dark pavement, automotive exhaust, and vanishing green spaces all contribute to the warming effects of urban sprawl, which is why Climate Central senior data analyst Jennifer Brady says no area is completely immune.

“When you look across the country, this is everywhere,” she explained. “This is not a big city problem. This is a development problem. And it can happen everywhere.”

On the bright side, this issue is gaining more attention — and there are steps cities can take to reduce the effect.

Planting more trees and using lighter colors to paint various surfaces are two relatively simple steps that can keep UHI at bay.

Chris Agee July 13th, 2024

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