670d.png)
1784.png)
Strategies for making parks cool, inviting community cooling centers during extreme heat.
Researchers at Princeton University are looking for ways to cool urban parks, reports Patrick Sisson, so they can serve as neighborhood cooling centers during extreme heat waves. According to professor Elie Bou-Zeid, “It’ll certainly be more pleasant to be in a park than in some indoor stadium where nobody wants to go.”
The strategies being tested include:
- Kirigami: a paper cutting and folding technique that can be used in architecture to control air flow and make structures cooler.
- Misters: common in places like Palm Springs, misters can significantly cool the air.
- Cold tubes: panels with cold water pipes “draw in heat from the bodies of people standing outside the structure, making them feel cooler without actually cooling the surrounding air.”
FULL STORY: Cooling Parks Will Help Cities During Record-Breaking Heat Waves
To Combat Rising Heat Deaths, Phoenix Creates Heat Response and Mitigation Office
As more extreme temperatures lead to an alarming rise in heat-related deaths across the country, Phoenix is taking action with the nation's first public heat response office.
Cooling Costs to Hit 10-Year High This Summer
Longer, more intense heat waves are driving up cooling costs and putting low-income households at higher risk for heat-related illnesses.
Why It's So Difficult to Measure Heat Deaths
Without a standard for recording and classifying heat-related deaths, experts believe the scale of the problem is much bigger than numbers let on.
New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.
New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.
Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.
Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.
Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?
New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
