CPLN 7050

Heat Resilience in Boston

The studio explores strategies to address the growing challenges of extreme heat in the Greater Grove Hall neighborhood of Boston. This work comes at a critical moment as communities across the globe grapple with the intensifying impacts of climate change. For a city like Boston, where temperature increases exceed the global average by over 3.5°F, the consequences of extreme heat are deeply felt, particularly in neighborhoods already burdened by social and environmental inequities.

Students

Avani Adhikari
Adil Godfrey Belgaumi
Michael Tait Clifford
Bofang Jiang
Kuma (Xiaoyi) Luo
Revathi V. Machan
Riya Saini
Matthew Ryan Smith
Shuai Wang
Jiyan (William) Wang
Hao Zhu
Wenjun Zhu

Boston, a historically cold city, is not prepared to deal for these rising temperatures. Despite being known for its cold winters, summer temperatures in Boston have been increasing at an alarming and irreversible rate. Even if major reductions in emissions were to occur, Boston’s current trajectory of temperature change has been locked in. By 2070, the number of days over 100°F (38°C) is expected to increase from 10 to up to 46 by 2070. It is essential that the city builds resilience strategies in order to combat extreme heat. For Boston, building extreme heat resilience is not just a matter of adapting to climate change, but also enacting environmental justice. Historic disinvestment has decimated the access to heat-mitigating features in some neighborhoods. As a result, temperatures in these disadvantaged neighborhoods can be 7.5% hotter than the Boston average.
The studio’s strategies focus on reducing temperatures in urban heat hotspots, improving accessibility to cooling infrastructure, and designing features that foster resilience and emergency preparedness. Recommendations address Grove Hall’s unique needs while contributing to Boston’s broader climate adaptation and social equity goals.

Heat Resilience in Boston

Students

Faculty