Overview:

Summary: Most Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) do not take impacts on the urban heat island effect into consideration. Governments should incorporate a new development's adverse effects on its surrounding environment in the context of heat (e.g. building mass, increased pedestrian temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.) in environmental impact assessments.

Implementation: Amend existing EIAs to include heat considerations.

Considerations for Use: To support the transition to an amended EIA, host trainings to educate staff and stakeholders on updated EIA methodologies.

• Policy Levers:
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points:
  
  
  City planning processesIncludes city initiatives such as the development of climate action plan, pathway to zero-energy, master plan, transit plan, energy mapping etc.
  No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits.
• Intervention Type:
  Planning/Policy
• Sectors:
  City Administration

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Number of permits that incorporate UHI considerations

Case Studies:

• Vienna Urban Heat Island Strategy (UDF, Pg 60)

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  City, State/Province
• Authority and Governance:
  City government, State/provincial government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Private developers
• Funding Sources:
  Public investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Low
• GHG Reduction:
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Social):
  N/A