Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategies in Neighborhoods in Northern Manhattan, New York City

Urban heat islands (UHI) are some of the most visible manifestations of climate change's disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities in the United States. Reducing extreme summertime outdoor and indoor temperatures in vulnerable communities can help reduce the public health burden of heat exacerbated by climate change. We evaluate the effectiveness of different UHI reduction strategies in reducing surface temperatures in neighborhoods in northern Manhattan, New York City. We develop a method to model the relationship between land surface temperatures derived from Landsat imagery and a high-resolution land cover dataset in five neighborhoods. We then evaluate surface temperature changes from land cover scenarios incorporating increased tree canopies, green roofs, cool roofs, and cool pavements. This information will be linked with information on community members' lived experience of heat, household resilience and coping strategies, to help prioritize and target neighborhood UHI reduction strategies.