Masterclass: Innovating in urban planning and governance for heat health

Extreme heat is an increasing climate risk for cities and the health of their residents across the world, due to the combination of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and climate change. Urban planning and design that considers urban heat mitigation can help cities increase their resilience to extreme heat in the built environment.

This masterclass will present the current state and innovations in urban planning, design and governance for extreme heat, offer insight into the diverse disciplinary perspectives on extreme heat governance, and offer strategies for enhancing community engagement for sustained extreme heat planning efforts.

Featured on the panel for this masterclass is Ladd Keith from the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.

Ladd Keith, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Planning and Chair of Sustainable Built Environments at The University of Arizona. He is an interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of urban planning and climate science and explores how climate action planning can make more sustainable and resilient cities. He has contributed to the development and analysis of land use and development regulations, comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, and climate action plans across the U.S. He is currently the principal investigator of an NOAA-funded research project evaluating the use of urban heat island maps in urban planning and is co-investigator on a project developing community climate profiles tailored to local needs.