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hotter ambient air temperatures than sur-
<br />rounding areas. "Hot spots" are areas where
<br />temperatures are particularly high because
<br />of large _expanses of dark, paved surfaces or
<br />a lack of vegetation. Once a local government
<br />has identified hot spots, it can prioritize pilot
<br />projects in these places to reduce ambient
<br />temperatures by adding trees and other veg-
<br />etation and reflective, light-colored, or perme-
<br />able pavement, which can also help reduce
<br />stormwater runoff. The projects can help the
<br />community figure out which materials and
<br />techniques work best for sites such as park-
<br />ing lots, alleys, and streets part of its climate
<br />adaptation actions, Chicago mapped its hot
<br />spots, including overlaying a map of heat -
<br />related 311 and 911 calls to "assess the cor-
<br />relation between urban heat islands and heat
<br />stress -related issues." The city directs cooling
<br />and energy efficiency efforts such as cool and
<br />green roofs to those places (Chicago zoo8).
<br />HelpingVulnerable People and
<br />Neighborhoods
<br />Extreme heat puts people at greater risk for
<br />heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and heat -related
<br />death, and it can exacerbate chronic ill-
<br />nesses such as respiratory and cardiovascular
<br />diseases. Pregnant women; children; and
<br />low-income, elderly, homeless, or chronically
<br />ill people are the most susceptible to these
<br />health risks (Sarofim et al. 2016). Many of
<br />the most susceptible are also the least able
<br />to adapt on their own, because they lack the
<br />money to better weatherize or even cool their
<br />homes, they have mobility issues that make it
<br />difficult to go somewhere safe during a heat
<br />emergency, or they aren't aware of how deadly
<br />an extended heat wave can be. Working with
<br />trusted messengers in communities with par-
<br />ticularly vulnerable populations can help local
<br />government better understand what people
<br />need and work with them to develop strate-
<br />gies for heat waves and other emergencies.
<br />Mapping hot spots in vulnerable neigh-
<br />borhoods can help a community prioritize
<br />locations for cooling centers where people
<br />can go to escape the heat. Cooling centers
<br />can be civic buildings such as libraries, com-
<br />munity centers, or public pools; some private
<br />businesses might agree to let people spend
<br />the hottest hours of the day in their buildings.
<br />Cooling centers should be easy for even peo-
<br />ple with limited mobility to reach —for exam-
<br />ple, in or close to apartment complexes with
<br />many elderly residents or next to public transit
<br />stops. The local government should clearly
<br />mark cooling centers and do ongoing outreach
<br />to make sure vulnerable residents know where
<br />they are and how to reach them.
<br />Cooling centers might also be emergency
<br />shelters in severe storms or other natural
<br />disasters, or their convenient location might
<br />make them a good rendezvous point in case
<br />of a city- or neighborhood -wide evacuation.
<br />Having a single location in the neighborhood
<br />would be easier for residents to remember,
<br />so local governments might want to consider
<br />strengthening cooling centers to withstand
<br />high winds, seismic damage, and flooding, as
<br />well as locating them outside of areas that are
<br />at high risk of flooding or wildfires. Cooling
<br />centers should have backup power or use pas-
<br />sive survivability measures that will keep the
<br />building safe if the power goes out.
<br />Cooler Hardscapes
<br />Hard surfaces don't have to generate a heat
<br />island. The community could amend its site
<br />plan requirements and design guidelines
<br />to better adapt hardscape areas to extreme
<br />heat. Requirements could include a certain
<br />amount of light-colored or permeable paving
<br />in hardscape areas or planting trees to shade
<br />sidewalks, streets, and parking lots and in-
<br />crease overall tree canopy. These elements
<br />would also capture and filter stormwater and
<br />beautify the public realm.
<br />Glenview, Illinois, has design guidelines
<br />for trees and other vegetation in parking lots
<br />to clearly show what is acceptable. It includes
<br />guidance on tree placement, species, and
<br />maintenance (Glenview n.d.).
<br />DROUGHT
<br />Development that is planned with an under-
<br />standing of current and future water supplies,
<br />along with water efficiency and reuse strate-
<br />gies, can help communities continue to pro-
<br />vide adequate water for new growth.
<br />Aligning Land -Use Planning and Water
<br />Management
<br />Compact development uses less water per
<br />household and reduces the burden on exist-
<br />ing water supply infrastructure, making water
<br />delivery more efficient. Shorter pipes mean
<br />less opportunity for leaks, and water pumped
<br />shorter distances does not have to be pumped
<br />as forcefully, which also reduces leakage. In
<br />addition, smaller lots use less water outdoors
<br />because they have less lawn to irrigate (U.S.
<br />EPA zoo6). Integrating water resource man-
<br />agement with land -use planning helps ensure
<br />adequate water for the growth the community
<br />has planned and that the growth happens in
<br />places that make the best use of the commu-
<br />nity's water infrastructure.
<br />The Albuquerque Bernafillo County
<br />Water Utility Authority works with the city of
<br />Albuquerque, New Mexico, and surrounding
<br />Bernafillo County to help align water resources
<br />with growth plans. The water authority's
<br />Water Resources Management Strategy in-
<br />cludes a policy to link land -use planning with
<br />water management. Specific actions under
<br />that policy include working with the city and
<br />county to update the comprehensive plan and
<br />other plans to ensure that development aligns
<br />with infrastructure, basing its capital planning
<br />on the city and county's growth plans, and
<br />supporting infill and compact development
<br />(ABCWUA 21316).
<br />Building Energy and Water Benchmarking
<br />Benchmarking programs provide solid data
<br />on energy and water use that help municipal-
<br />ities set a baseline and determine progress
<br />toward reducing energy and water use. Com-
<br />munities can pass an ordinance or encour-
<br />age building owners to use a benchmarking
<br />program by emphasizing the cost savings of
<br />using energy and water more efficiently and
<br />by offering incentives.
<br />Denver's voluntary Watts to Water pro-
<br />gram encourages commercial buildings to
<br />use Portfolio Manager, an Energy Star online
<br />reporting system, to measure their energy
<br />and water use. The building owners get free
<br />technical support and educational programs,
<br />public recognition, and access to rebates and
<br />other programs to help improve building op-
<br />erations (Watts to Water. 2o16). After roughly
<br />four years, the program had signed up more
<br />than 1!}o participants representing 3o million
<br />square feet of commercial real estate and was
<br />saving more than one million gallons of water
<br />annually (Young and Mackres 2o13).
<br />Rainwater Harvesting
<br />To avoid using potable water for irrigation,
<br />some communities mandate rainwater har-
<br />vesting for all new commercial construction.
<br />Keep in mind, however, that, some jurisdic-
<br />tionsprohibit harvesting to keep local water-
<br />sheds healthy or due to water rights conflicts.
<br />Tucson, Arizona's Commercial Rainwater
<br />Harvesting Ordinance, a model otherjurisdic-
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE Z.17
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