Episode 38: In the U.S., heat waves harm more people than all other meteorological hazards combined. Cities have a lot of buildings, concrete, and anthropogenic heat being produced, which can help trap heat near the city’s surface. This creates Urban Heat Island effect, where cities tend to be hotter than surrounding rural areas that have more green space and trees. The effect is intensified as cities grow and in areas with little vegetation. This month we welcome back Kendra Abkowitz, Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer for Metro Nashville. We are also joined by Jennifer First, Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Both of our guests are principal investigators for the Urban Heat Island Mapping research that took place earlier this summer. This episode highlights interesting ideas and potential solutions for a problem that most people didn't realize that we have. More information can be found through these links: Nashville - Knoxville
