Chicago, IL Uses Green Infrastructure to Reduce Heat Event Impacts
In 1995, Chicago experienced a heatwave that led to the deaths of several hundred people over the course of five days.
Recognizing changes in environmental conditions will affect heat events among many other weather events, Chicago decided to conduct a vulnerability assessment to better understand the threat.
Chicago conducted a vulnerability assessment that projected future expected temperatures and estimated the magnitude of threat to future heat related mortality. In anticipation of these future threats, Chicago adopted a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan.
The city’s first priority under the Chicago Climate Action Plan: Adaptation Strategy Report is to prepare for heat events. Chicago’s approach assessed vulnerability to heatwaves and promoted preparedness and resiliency actions to reduce risk.
Chicago's approach is to promote resiliency through emergency response procedures. Cook County's Hazard Mitigation Plan specifically includes heat-related emergency response procedures. In addition, the plan identifies that its Extreme Weather Operations Plans have scalability to deal with projected changes in environmental conditions.
To prepare for future heat events, Chicago identified urban heat areas of concern, Then, heat island reduction strategies were adopted through a variety of municipal programs that include building codes and green infrastructure projects.
These green infrastructure strategies provide Chicago with co-benefits. By increasing heat event emergency preparedness, stormwater management for heavy precipitation events is also addressed.
| How did they do it? | Applicable EPA Tools |
|---|---|
Conducted vulnerability assessment of future risk from heat events.
| Use CDC’s Heat & Health Tracker to identify the communities most at risk and adopt preparedness strategies that target heat vulnerabilities. * (This is a non-EPA resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) |
Chicago Targeted Efforts to Reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect.
| EPA’s Urban Heat Island Strategies and EPA Energy Star Cool Roof Standards can be targeted to reduce the urban heat island and adapt to future conditions. |
Promoted Preparedness Actions that Would Provide Co-Benefits.
| EPA's Green Infrastructure Modeling Tools |
Similar Cases and More Information
To see how Chicago has modified their Heat Emergency Response Programs to reduce deaths from heatwaves, view Chicago Heat Emergency Response. To view another region’s example of heat event preparedness and planning view Minnesota Heat Health, or the NYC Heat Plan.
Chicago implemented green infrastructure projects that would provide both heat reduction and stormwater management benefits. for another example of how resiliency strategies can promote mutual benefits view Salt Lake City Air Quality.
- Chicago, IL Adapts to Improve Heat Event Preparedness
- Minnesota Assesses Risks to Public Health
- New York City Adapts to Deal with Projected Increase of Heat Waves
- Salt Lake City, Utah Adapts to Improve Air Quality Through Smart Growth
References
The following links exit the site
- Chicago Climate Action Plan (PDF) (60 pp, 11 MB)
- Sustainable Chicago (PDF) (40 pp, 11 MB)
- Climate Change and Chicago: Projections and Potential Impacts - Executive Summary (PDF) (22 pp, 2.5 MB)
- Climate Change and Chicago: Projections and Potential Impacts - Health (PDF) (32 pp, 613 K)
- Overview of the Green Permit Program
- Engaging Chicago’s Diverse Communities in the Chicago Climate Action Plan (PDF) (35 pp, 14 MB)