{"529021":{"#nid":"529021","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Every City Is an Island","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EIt will be 50 years this August since \u003Cem\u003ESummer in the City\u003C\/em\u003E topped the Billboard charts for three weeks running. Professor Brian Stone Jr. of the School of City and Regional Planning had not even been born yet, but he is well acquainted with the heat island effect described in the evocative lyrics, which could cause even the coolest listener to break out in a sweat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThose \u201csidewalks, hotter than a match head\u201d the Lovin\u2019 Spoonful sang about are only getting worse, according to Stone, also author of \u003Cem\u003EThe City and the Coming Climate: Climate Change in the Places We Live\u003C\/em\u003E and director of Georgia Tech\u2019s Urban Climate Lab (UCL).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EHe and his research team are finding that, on average, cities are warming at double the rate of the planet \u2014 and much of that warming is driven by activities within the cities themselves.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cCities are vulnerable places as far as temperature change,\u201d Stone said. \u201cThe UCL\u2019s principal mission, initially, was just to measure that. In recent years, we\u2019ve expanded to work with cities to adapt to rising temperatures.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe UCL\u2019s distinctive niche is in contrast to the bulk of sustainability research conducted these days, Stone said. \u201cMost environmental efforts are rooted in technology, like engineering cleaner cars or electricity. But we also have the option to reduce the demand side of the equation, and our focus on land use provides a perspective and policy arena from which to address environmental issues.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERising Tide of Extreme Heat\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EConducting studies around the nation, the UCL has found that Louisville, Kentucky, is the most rapidly warming metropolis in the U.S. relative to what\u2019s around it. (Atlanta is No. 3.) The UCL has helped Louisville develop a heat adaptation plan \u2014 the first for a U.S. city.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ECurrently, the UCL\u2019s largest project, funded by the National Science Foundation, focuses on the growing risk of having a heat wave and a blackout at the same time. \u201cThat may be one of the most threatening events we can imagine,\u201d Stone said, \u201cand cities are not well prepared for it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStone has been interviewed by WSB-TV, CNN, and NPR, and he\u2019s been the go-to expert for \u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EUSA Today\u003C\/em\u003E, and \u003Cem\u003EThe Washington Post\u003C\/em\u003E, among other publications. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe media always seem to call when it\u2019s getting really hot out, Stone has noticed. \u201cIt\u2019s during heat waves that cities struggle the most,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re New York or New Orleans and you have rising sea levels due to global warming, it would be expensive, but you can build a wall \u2014 there\u2019s no barrier for the rising tide of extreme heat.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe challenge for cities in the face of climate change, then, is both global and local, Stone said. City planning and smart growth can certainly play a role in reducing fossil fuel consumption and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions, but his group is also working to make sure the \u201cgreenhouse\u201d effect is not compounded by the \u201cgreen loss\u201d effect. \u201cWe cut down trees, we build parking lots and buildings \u2014 it heats up the environment,\u201d Stone said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConverting Asphalt to Green Space\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStone says Georgia Tech is the perfect academic environment for conducting his urban climate research, citing the interdisciplinary scientific, technological, and public policy expertise at his disposal. But the campus itself also plays a role \u2014 as a living laboratory.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe UCL has positioned 24 small-scale weather stations around campus to measure not only temperature changes but how different projects impact temperatures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech is one of the only places in the city where we\u2019re actually converting asphalt to green space,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re tearing up parking lots and putting in quad space, so we can measure before and after how that\u2019s cooling the air.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Good News for Cities\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe good news for cities as they adapt to climate change is that they don\u2019t need a mandate from the global or U.S. policy community, Stone said. \u201cThey are empowered through their land use authority and policy tool kit to significantly slow the rate of warming.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ECertain policy prescriptions will be part of almost any heat mitigation plan for cities, Stone said. Approaches such as expanding and incentivizing transit; encouraging high-density development; and creating better bike and pedestrian networks can have a direct effect on maintaining green cover and reducing waste heat emissions. For other strategies, he said, cities and environmentally conscious individuals should think \u201cgreen, white, and blue\u201d:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreen:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPlant and preserve trees, especially to shade impervious surfaces.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInstall green roofs, like the one on Clough Commons.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPromote parks and community gardens.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p8\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhite:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUse reflective roofing materials and reflective paving.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p8\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBlue:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBuild stormwater ponds, such as the one at Old Fourth Ward Park.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECreate rain gardens.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELearn more about Stone\u2019s work at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.urbanclimate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ewww.urbanclimate.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Brian Stone Jr. Examines Climate Change in the Urban Environment"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStone and his research team are finding that, on average, cities are warming at double the rate of the planet \u2014 and much of that warming is driven by activities within the cities themselves.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Stone and his research team are finding that, on average, cities are warming at double the rate of the planet \u2014 and much of that warming is driven by activities within the cities themselves."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-04-25 14:22:49","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:28","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"130461":{"id":"130461","type":"image","title":"Brian Stone","body":null,"created":"1449178647","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:27","changed":"1475894736","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:36","alt":"Brian Stone","file":{"fid":"194659","name":"stone.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stone_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stone_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3131696,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stone_0.jpg?itok=DYoahO-A"}},"527631":{"id":"527631","type":"image","title":"Brian Stone - 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Minimum Temps - Jul 2015","body":null,"created":"1461895200","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 02:00:00","changed":"1475895307","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:07","alt":"Tech Climate Lab - Minimum Temps - Jul 2015","file":{"fid":"206196","name":"min_jul_2015.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/min_jul_2015.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/min_jul_2015.png","mime":"image\/png","size":507274,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/min_jul_2015.png?itok=BsEQTZib"}}},"media_ids":["130461","527631","529171","529191"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/urbanclimate.gatech.edu\/","title":"Urban Climate Lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1349","name":"Brian Stone"},{"id":"1351","name":"City and Regional Planning"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"166890","name":"sustainability"},{"id":"33091","name":"urban climate lab"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:margaret.tate@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMargaret Tate\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}