Urban Form and Extreme Heat Events: Are Sprawling Cities More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than Compact Cities?

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Abstract

Background

Extreme heat events (EHEs) are increasing in frequency in large U.S. cities and are responsible for a greater annual number of climate-related fatalities, on average, than any other form of extreme weather. In addition, low-density, sprawling patterns of urban development have been associated with enhanced surface temperatures in urbanized areas.

Objectives

In this study. we examined the association between urban form at the level of the metropolitan region and the frequency of EHEs over a five-decade period.

Methods

We employed a widely published sprawl index to measure the association between urban form in 2000 and the mean annual rate of change in EHEs between 1956 and 2005.

Results

We found that the rate of increase in the annual number of EHEs between 1956 and 2005 in the most sprawling metropolitan regions was more than double the rate of increase observed in the most compact metropolitan regions.

Conclusions

The design and management of land use in metropolitan regions may offer an important tool for adapting to the heat-related health effects associated with ongoing climate change.

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Most cited references 18

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Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave.

S Whitman, G Good, E Donoghue … (1997)

This study assessed mortality associated with the mid-July 1995 heat wave in Chicago. Analyses focused on heat-related deaths, as designated by the medical examiner, and on the number of excess deaths. In July 1995, there were 514 heat-related deaths and 696 excess deaths. People 65 years of age or older were overrepresented and Hispanic people underrepresented. During the most intense heat (July 14 through 20), there were 485 heat-related deaths and 739 excess deaths. The methods used here provide insight into the great impact of the Chicago heat wave on selected populations, but the lack of methodological standards makes comparisons across geographical areas problematic.

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Heat-related mortality during a 1999 heat wave in Chicago

M Naughton (2002)

During the summer of 1999, Chicago's second deadliest heat wave of the decade resulted in at least 80 deaths. The high mortality, exceeded only by a 1995 heat wave, provided the opportunity to investigate the risks associated with heat-related deaths and to examine the effectiveness of targeted heat-relieving interventions. We conducted a case-control study to determine risk factors for heat-related death. We collected demographic, health, and behavior information for 63 case patients and 77 neighborhood-and-age-matched control subjects and generated odds ratios (ORs) for each potential risk factor. Fifty-three percent of the case patients were aged <65 years, and psychiatric illness was almost twice as common in the younger than the older age group. In the multivariate analysis, the strongest risk factors for heat-related death were living alone (OR=8.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-48.1) and not leaving home daily (OR=5.8; 95% CI, 1.5-22.0). The strongest protective factor was a working air conditioner (OR=0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.7). Over half (53%) of the 80 decedents were seen or spoken to on the day of or day before their deaths. A working air conditioner is the strongest protective factor against heat-related death. The relatively younger age of case patients in 1999 may be due to post-1995 interventions that focused on the elderly of Chicago. However, social isolation and advanced age remain important risk factors. Individual social contacts and educational messages targeted toward at-risk populations during heat waves may decrease the number of deaths in these groups.

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The built environment, climate change, and health: opportunities for co-benefits.

Margalit Younger, Heather R. Morrow-Almeida, Stephen Vindigni … (2008)

The earth's climate is changing, due largely to greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activity. These human-generated gases derive in part from aspects of the built environment such as transportation systems and infrastructure, building construction and operation, and land-use planning. Transportation, the largest end-use consumer of energy, affects human health directly through air pollution and subsequent respiratory effects, as well as indirectly through physical activity behavior. Buildings contribute to climate change, influence transportation, and affect health through the materials utilized, decisions about sites, electricity and water usage, and landscape surroundings. Land use, forestry, and agriculture also contribute to climate change and affect health by increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, shaping the infrastructures for both transportation and buildings, and affecting access to green spaces. Vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected with regard to transportation, buildings, and land use, and are most at risk for experiencing the effects of climate change. Working across sectors to incorporate a health promotion approach in the design and development of built environment components may mitigate climate change, promote adaptation, and improve public health.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Environ Health Perspect

Title: Environmental Health Perspectives

Publisher: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

ISSN (Print): 0091-6765

ISSN (Electronic): 1552-9924

Publication date (Print): October 2010

Publication date (Electronic): 23 June 2010

Volume: 118

Issue: 10

Pages: 1425-1428

Affiliations

[1 ] School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

[2 ] National Center for Environmental Health, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

[3 ] Emory University School of Medicine and

[4 ] Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Author notes

Address correspondence to B. Stone, 245 4th St. NW, Rm. 204, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 USA. Telephone: (404) 894-6488. Fax: (404) 894-1628. E-mail: stone@ 123456gatech.edu

The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

Article

Publisher ID: ehp-118-1425

DOI: 10.1289/ehp.0901879

PMC ID: 2957923

PubMed ID: 21114000

SO-VID: 86c52f9e-d26a-4ac5-b358-697b19bbc85a

Copyright © This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original DOI.

Urban Form and Extreme Heat Events: Are Sprawling Cities More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than Compact Cities?

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Abstract

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Related collections

Climate Change: Open Access

Most cited references 18

Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave.

Heat-related mortality during a 1999 heat wave in Chicago

The built environment, climate change, and health: opportunities for co-benefits.

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