KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As global temperatures climb, environmental factors in some city neighborhoods amplify heat even further, creating urban heat islands.
A new Climate Central analysis of census tract-level data for 44 U.S. cities found that the urban heat island effect elevates local temperatures by at least 8 degrees in areas where 41 million people live, exposing residents to higher risks of heat-related illness and higher cooling costs.
The immediate Kansas City area ranks No. 15 with just shy of 1.5 million people and 783,464 residents feeling 8 degrees hotter.
In some neighborhoods, the urban heat island effect boosts temperatures by 10° or more, impacting more than 10% of residents in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. (Nearly 3.8 million New Yorkers, or 41% of the city’s population, experience temperatures elevated by at least ten degrees, attributable to local environmental factors.)
“People in urban heat islands experience the amplified effects of climate change, especially during summer heat streaks that force millions to face higher temperatures than their neighbors,” Jen Brady, Climate Central senior data analyst said. “Changes to the built environment can cool these neighborhoods, but until global temperatures stop rising, city residents will face increasingly steeper challenges to stay safe during periods of extreme heat.”
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Temperatures in urban heat islands are influenced by localized environmental factors including albedo (the degree to which surfaces like roofs and roads reflect or absorb heat), the amount of permeable surfaces, tree cover and greenspaces, building heights and airflow, and population density–which influences the heat generated by human activities, such as running air conditioners. Climate Central assessed the influence of each of these factors on U.S. census tracts, based on reported land cover zones within each tract, to calculate the urban heat island effect. Population estimates are based on 2020 Census data.
In Kansas City, 53% of our population is dealing with amplified heat, and as we move through summer heat waves, it's important to remember living in an urban area means more heat. Some of the areas impacted the most in the Kansas City area include the Armoudale and rail yard neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas, North Kansas City, Gladstone-Liberty, the Crossroads Arts District into Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the Country Club Plaza area.
Shaya Lockertt is the recreation manager for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. She's a Dotte original and says the summer heat just hits differently. She says cooling centers are available through Wyndotte County for residents from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
You can find a map of those centers plus more around the Kansas City area below:
As we navigate a warming world, the way we build out our cities and grow our suburban areas is important. The Mid-America Regional Council has studied several ways we can work to reduce our urban heat island effect:
- Tree planting
- Native landscaping
- Green stormwater infrastructure
- White and green roofs
- Green walls
- Infrastructure retrofits – Permeable pavers in parking lots, skinny streets & reduced parking sizes
- Planning and zoning – Reduced street width requirements, parking maximums, flexibility on native landscaping, integrated design practices to link green and grey infrastructure
Some examples of these things being done in our community include; Boulevard Brewery's green roof, tree planting campaigns through Kansas City and green storm water infrastructure plans like the one in Lenexa.