Science to Action: Using Community Science to Map Houston’s Hot Spots 

Credit: Meredith Jennings, PhD

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Source: Climate Impact Assessment for the City of Houston (2020)

IMAGINE BY 2050,

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Source: Houston Chronicle, Sunday October 9, 2022

Extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, but not everyone’s risk is the same.

Extreme heat is dangerous for certain residents

Warmer temperatures increase energy costs

Energy insecurity puts low-income residents at risk

• Energy burden
• High energy bills as a percentage of income
• High social vulnerability and rural areas of the state
• Energy rationing
• Residents reduce consumption to reduce bills, even when unsafe
• Rotating which bill gets paid
• Risk of shutoff from nonpayment

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Energy burden (energy bill as a percent of income) for census tracts in Harris County

(image source: LEAD tool)

The need to model (and observe) heat risk: 

• The role of the cities (urban heat island) in cooling/heating locally. 
• How heat risk varies across different land use patterns (environmental challenges and socio-economical groups) and future land use changes.
• Short-term planning: help officials to manage extreme heat days.
• Long-term planning: guide the adaptation and mitigation efforts heat exposure using cooling interventions.

Local Climate Zones (LCZ)

Understanding how temperatures vary across differences in the natural and built environment can inform how we reduce the impacts of rising summer temperatures in our communities. 

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Goal:

Collect “on the ground” data to inform urban heat solutions.�

• Demonstration projects
• Incentive programs or Awards
• Urban forestry programs
• Procurement
• Weatherization
• Tree and landscape ordinances
• Outreach and education
• Comprehensive plans and design guidelines
• Zoning codes
• Green building standards
• Building codes
• Air quality standards

(Source: EPA)

www.h3at.org

Campaign Overview

• Over 300 sq miles
• Each area was mapped 3x (6AM-3PM, 7PM)
• Harris County and COH Jurisdictions
• Used social vulnerability index and city/county complementary initiatives to prioritize

www.h3at.org

Credit: Houston Chronicle

Credit: Houston Chronicle

Story Map by HARC

Report by CAPA

Web App by CAPA

Story Map by HARC

How to access and review results

🡪 www.h3at.org

Collected Data:�-Temperature�-Humidity��Derived Data:�-Heat Index��Results shown in �two formats:�- Observed�- Modeled�

How to interpret results

• 11°F difference across study region
• Average = 78.8°F
• Temperatures above 80°F considered unhealthy

Lowest Temperature = 72.3 °F

Settegast

Highest Temperature = 83.5 °F

Greater Greenspoint

Morning Point Results (6-7 AM)

Morning Model Results (6-7 AM)

Memorial Park

Greater Greenspoint �(I-45 and Beltway 8)

Gulfton

TMC

Acres �Home

Sunnyside

Spring Branch

Aldine

Channelview

Pasadena

Baytown

Galena Park

Houston Ship Channel

West U

Alief

Jacinto City

Trinity

Gardens

Settegast

Railyard

Pleasantville

Downtown

• 17°F difference across study region
• Average Temperature = 94.3°F
• Average Heat Index = 105.2 °F

Lowest Temperature = 86.2 °F

Channelview

Highest Temperature = 103.3 °F

Richmond and Chimney Rock

Afternoon Point Results (3-4 PM)

Afternoon Model Results (3-4 PM)

Memorial Park

Greater Greenspoint �(I-45 and Beltway 8)

Gulfton

TMC

Acres �Home

Sunnyside

Spring Branch

Aldine

Channelview

Pasadena

Baytown

Galena Park

Houston Ship Channel

West U

Alief

Jacinto City

Trinity

Gardens

Settegast

Railyard

Pleasantville

Downtown

So, what can we do?

• Preparing for climate change
• Resilience, making it easier/safer to bounce back from an extreme event
• Varying scales
• Home vs. community vs. nation

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Climate mitigation

• Reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• GHGs trap heat

🡪 Reduce climate change we experience

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3 Ways to mitigate AND adapt:

Climate adaptation

Trees

Transportation infrastructure

Energy efficiency

Goal: 4.6 million trees by 2030

https://pg-cloud.com/HoustonTX/

Status:

• 1,423,316 trees planted since 2019�
• 31% of goal reached�
• Need ~400,000 trees per year

Credit: Ultrabario

Designed to maximize afternoon cooling

Green Roof - GBRC

Cool and green roofs

Energy saving strategies

Weatherization protects vulnerable residents

• Energy-saving strategies
• Reduces energy needed to run home the same way
• Upgrades should keep residents comfortable and safe
• Adapting homes to climate risk
• See BakerRipley or HARC for more information on Low Income Programs
• GBRC has DIY Home Energy Audit online: https://www.codegreenhouston.org/diy-home-energy-audit

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Image source: Department of Energy

• Attic,* wall,* floor, and pipe insulation
• ASHRAE compliant exhaust fans
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Air sealing,* duct sealing
• New refrigerators and water heaters
• Air conditioning and heating tune-up or replacement
• Solar screens
• Improved windows
• Low-cost measures: low-flow shower heads and aerators, LED bulbs, weather-stripping, and water heater tank wraps
• Minor gas leak repairs

www.h3at.org

From Action to Equity

Ed Pettitt, MPH

“When the people of Houston first elected me as mayor in 2015, I said that I did not want to be the mayor of two cities. Houston cannot continue to be divided as a city of haves and have nots.”

Heat Stress and Race

• From 2005-2015, the rates of emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses increased by 67% for African Americans, 63% for Hispanic people, 53% for Asian Americans, and 27% for White Americans

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Source: Abualsaud et al. (2019)

Tree Equity and Race

• Neighborhoods with a majority of people of color have 33% less tree canopy on average than majority white communities.
• Neighborhoods with 90% or more of their residents living in poverty have 41% less tree canopy than communities with only 10% or less of the population in poverty.

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Source: American Forests (2021)

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ENERGY INSECURITY: Black, Hispanic, and Native American households spend 43 percent more, 20 percent more, and 45 percent more on utilities than White households, respectively�

Source: American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (2020)

While White households consume more energy overall, Black and Latino households have higher energy use intensity, usually as a result of living in older housing stock.

Energy Cost Burdens for Low-Income and Minority Households. (2020). Journal of the American Planning Association. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01944363.2019.1647446

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Electrical Grid Failure and Heat Risks

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• Extreme heat resulted in 12,000 deaths in the U.S. each year between 2010 and 2020 and is predicted to reach an annual toll as high as 97,000 by 2100 (Stone et al. 2021)
• The number of annual major “blackout” events doubled across five large U.S. cities between 2015 and 2020.
• When major blackouts and heatwaves occur together, at least 68% of people living in cities are exposed to indoor temperatures that can cause harmful heat exhaustion or heat stroke (Shindell et al. 2020)  

UHI Mitigation through �Tree Canopy �Equity

A Simulation with Scenario Analysis of Houston’s Tree Canopy, Urban Heat Island Effect, and Park Sector Funding

Topic & Importance

How Does Houston Fund New Parks?

Park Sector Boundaries

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Conclusions

• According to the park sector equity index, the most burdened and under-invested park sectors include 17 (Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens, Denver Harbor), 11 (Second Ward, East End), and 15 (Third Ward, OST, South Union)
• The least burdened and over-invested park sectors are 14 (River Oaks, Upper Kirby, Midtown), 18 (Westchase, Briar Forest), and 4 (Clinton Park, Harrisburg)

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Source: Energy Cost Burdens for Low-Income and Minority Households. (2020). Journal of the American Planning Association. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01944363.2019.1647446

• Houston’s first Networked Microgrid Testbed & Resilience Hub at Texas Southern University and Cuney Homes: Source+Store+Share electricity Onsite & On/Off-grid
• Energy Efficient Buildings

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• Cool Corridors

The Biden Administration's Justice40 Initiative: Advancing Environmental Justice and Equity

Source: Clean Cities Coalition Network: Energy and Environmental Justice. (2023). Energy.gov. https://cleancities.energy.gov/energy-and-environmental-justice/‌

Thank You!

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Ed Pettitt, MPH

Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 77004

E-Mail: edpettitt@gmail.com

Cell: 716-946-6285

LinkedIn: @edpettitt

Twitter: @edpettittmph