Cooling
Looking to the Middle East for Cooling Architecture
Cooling mechanisms built into traditional architecture offer lessons for U.S. builders as heat waves grow more intense.
‘Cool Community’ Project Yields Promising Results
A ten-block area in one of L.A.’s most heat-prone neighborhoods saw significant reductions in surface and air temperature thanks to an innovative street treatment that could help communities around the country mitigate the impacts of extreme heat.
Cool Planning for a Hotter Future
Global warming increases the importance of designing buildings and communities that are comfortable, efficient, and safe in hot conditions.
What Is the Urban Heat Island Effect?
Man-made surfaces and urban density contribute to higher temperatures, intensifying heat waves and posing a growing danger to public health.
This Street Treatment Fights Extreme Heat
Applied to streets, parking lots, and other asphalt surfaces, a reflective epoxy coating can lower temperatures by as much as 10 degrees and cool neighborhoods vulnerable to extreme heat.
Oregon Law Requires Cooling, but Could Leave Many Renters Out
A state bill requiring landlords to allow tenants to install portable air conditioners comes with a raft of exemptions that could restrict the most affordable options.
Protecting Urban Residents From Extreme Heat
With temperatures reaching record highs in cities around the country, local officials are implementing measures to ensure vulnerable residents have adequate cooling.
How Rotterdam’s Green Rooftops Fight Urban Heat
An elevated park in Rotterdam shows how green roofs can cool cities and create public parks in tight quarters.
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.
The High Cost of Cool Air
Air conditioning has drastically changed modern life and the ways cities have developed. But, the environmental consequences are immense, and it’s time to cut back.
Self-Driving Cars Hog Power
Self-driving cars process a tremendous amount of data to pilot themselves through crowded streets. That computing power needs electricity, and lots of it.
Putting a Dollar Value on Urban Trees
According to this study, existing "leafy infrastructure" in ten of the world's largest cities confers an estimated $505 million in benefits. Planting more could magnify the effect.
America's Hottest Cities May Be Its Most Sustainable
Everything you've thought about climate control may be wrong. And for that realization, you've got Michael Sivak to thank.
New Building Material Captures Heat, Releases on Demand
Researchers in China have reportedly created an insulation material that can "retain and release heat according to specific temperature requirements."
White Roofs Can Be Wrong Roofs
White roofs have gained cachet as a solution to the urban heat island effect. But in places where there are more cold days than hot, a white roof that reflects warming sunlight might not make the best sense, according to this piece.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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.
