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Studies show that differences in urban heat from one neighborhood to the next disproportionately affect some demographics. Lower-income people and people of color are more likely to live in hotter neighborhoods in cities across the United States, and extreme heat can have negative health consequences.
As part of a heat-mapping project that aims to pinpoint which New York City neighborhoods are hotter than others and why, CUNY SPH student Aboud Ezzeddine and Barnard Professor Martin Stute drove through the city recording the temperature and humidity. The project was showcased Wednesday in an article for Scientific American.
The Heat Mapping Project, organized by Columbia’s Earth Institute and South Bronx Unite, involved simultaneous measurements at various locations along predetermined routes. The resulting data can provide a more granular understanding of where heat is distributed throughout New York City and why some areas might be more heavily affected by extreme temperatures.
“Urban heat threatens public health in a severe and disproportionate way,” says Ezzeddine, who is pursuing his MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. “I am pleased to have been one of the volunteers this summer helping researchers collect heat and humidity data around New York City.”
Read the Scientific American article here.
