Using Art to Combat the Urban Heat Island Effect
As noted in SmartCitiesDive, “A Massachusetts group is teaching city leaders how to collaborate with artists on cooling methods and climate awareness.”
Cities use art to combat extreme urban heat
- For a description of urban heat islands in Rochester, see RochesterFirst.com, “Heat Island Defined: How cities act like giant ovens in the summertime,” (by Christine Gregory, Aug 12, 2020)
- And here’s what the EPA says about heat islands
As the graphic above shows, the City of Rochester can be up to 22°F hotter than the surrounding rural areas. And there’s a lot we can do to improve matters, not least the idea of commissioning more murals and street art to cool things off.
Cool Your Community is a social media toolkit provided by the EPA to help citizens convince their communities to take action:
The goal is to increase awareness of heat islands, share information on heat island cooling strategies, and encourage individuals to adopt these cooling strategies. The English and Spanish content on this page is available for use by communities, organizations, and individuals on social media or in their communication materials.
If you are an artist, an activist, or an organization interested in cooling down the city, we’d be happy to connect and feature your suggestions.