Mitigating Urban Heat Threats through a Community-Driven Framework

Extreme urban heat disproportionately affects poorer and communities of color in Richmond, VA, which is tied to long-standing histories of marginalization (such as the practice of redlining). This places these communities at a heightened state of precariousness in the face of worsening climate extremes, such as more frequent heat waves. Consequently, cities must manage and mitigate urban heat threats.

In this webinar, Jeremy Hoffman and Sheri Shannon will describe an innovative, community-driven, and collaborative network of nonprofits and scientists that seeks to increase tree canopy in neighborhoods shown to be hotter through a novel urban heat island assessment methodology. They will reflect on funding mechanisms, cooperation between organizations with differential power, and challenges posed by working with disconnected city programs.