Methods

This searchable Urban Heat Action and Policy Database was developed using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Heat Vulnerability Framework and adapted to include interventions and mechanisms of action.

A content analysis was applied to heat-related action plans and policies in Boston, Phoenix, and New Orleans using an adapted extreme heat vulnerability analysis framework to synthesize publicly available information and compare policies impacting heat resilience. Here we define policy broadly to include heat action plans, initiatives, pilot projects, ordinances, and legislation affecting population’s heat sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Through text and visual analysis, themes were identified, including policies targeting heat-vulnerable populations and governance at the intersection of disaster recovery, energy affordability, and community resilience. The study’s heat policy analysis aimed at understanding exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to increasing and longer duration heat, within and across cities.
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Heat vulnerability framework

The extreme heat vulnerability analysis framework developed by Wilhelmi and Hayden in 2010 was used to guide the analysis. This framework expanded from work previously conducted by Turner et. al. 2013 and Wilhelmi et. al. 2004. We specifically focused on the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity components of the framework to guide the policy categorization and analysis.
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  • Exposure constitutes quantitative and measurable metrics including the distribution of heat, land use, and climate variability.
  • Sensitivity was defined as personal health status, age, and neighborhood-level demographic data (i.e. socioeconomic status (SES), education, and wages).
  • Adaptive capacity was defined as attitudes and beliefs about heat and heat exposures as well as individual and community level extreme heat adaptation resources aimed at mitigating exposure. In addition to the categories in the 2010 framework we expanded to include heat vulnerability, funding source, implementation status, intervention, mechanism of action, scale, and target. Each code within the seven categories was organized according to the definitions of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.

Coding schema for action plans and policy analysis

  • Heat vulnerable populations were defined as front line communities with higher vulnerability to experience extreme heat and its health effects first. These categories were further subdivided within the heat vulnerability framework in terms of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The node definition for each heat vulnerable category was defined by local context, the literature, and also the heat vulnerability framework. Some nodes included in this category were immigrants, outdoor workers, unhoused people, elders, and people without AC or inability to pay for electricity. Heat vulnerabilities were combined into broader categories (see “Combined Categories” below) to assist with understanding about vulnerabilities across social and economic intersections.
  • Target was defined as the geographical level at which the policy or intervention was aimed at modifying. Nodes that were included in this theme were community level, household, individual, neighborhood, and residential building structure.
  • Scale was defined in terms of geographical range or entity which policies and interventions aimed to cover. This includes cities as defined by zip codes, counties, federal, private defined as a non-governmental source, and state.
  • Mechanism of action was defined as processes and systems that these policies and interventions target to reduce exposures to extreme heat, including ventilation, personal cooling devices, household finances, and emergency preparedness. Additionally, we included a location/type to further detail the target of the mechanism. This included personal, indoor and outdoor mechanisms.
  • Interventions were defined as activities or actions aimed at reducing a population’s exposure to extreme heat. Each individual intervention was further categorized within the heat vulnerability framework in terms of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to better understand what portion of the framework the policy or intervention was trying to improve on. We also categorized these interventions by target to understand if these interventions were aimed at individuals, communities, households, neighborhoods, or residential building structures.

In addition, we developed a set of combined categories to aggregate heat vulnerabilities across different characteristics to help in understanding the diverse dimensions of heat impacts in a more concise fashion.
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Combined category Definition
AGE Physiological vulnerability Defined as an individual’s susceptibility to experience adverse health effects of extreme heat due to age-related vulnerabilities.
Built environment Urban city structures and neighborhoods where people live, work, play, and commute. Usually human-made structures that create an urban ecosystem that directly and indirectly impact exposures and health.
HEALTH Physiological vulnerability Defined as an individual’s susceptibility to experience adverse health effects of extreme heat due to health-related susceptibilities.
Occupational Vulnerabilities related to a work-related environment/conditions, regardless of role or job tasks.
SES (Socioeconomic Status) Defined as heat-related vulnerabilities related to a person’s socioeconomic status (income), regardless of age, gender expression, physical or mental condition, or geographical distribution.
Social and language barriers Heat vulnerabilities resulting from the availability of social connections or networks by which a person can access resources. Language barriers as heat vulnerability are defined as not having the ability to speak or understand the dominant language and therefore not having the ability to access or communicate needed resources that can be used to mitigate and adapt to heat.
Stay tuned! Manuscript forthcoming
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Acronym Full name
SES Socioeconomic status
SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
LIHEAP Low Income Energy Assistance Program
TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
EITC Earned Income Tax Credit
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