Urban Heat Island Pilot Project Although the urban heat island effect is prevalent in many cities, intensities vary from community to community according to such variables as climate, topography and the degree and pattern of urbanization in a given geographical area. Not surprisingly, the potential benefits that can be gained from urban heat island mitigation also depend on local conditions. In an attempt to better understand the extent to which mitigation strategies will be effective in reducing energy use and preventing pollution in a particular area, EPA is working with NASA and LBNL as part of the UHIPP. The goal of the UHIPP is to use the results from the NASA/LBNL analysis (described below), combined with knowledge gained through working with various organizations within each pilot city to identify the most effective means of implementing strategies designed to mitigate the urban heat island. These "lessons learned" will be made available and used by cities across the U.S. to assist policy makers and others within various communities to analyze their own urban heat islands and determine which, if any, measures can be taken to help save energy and money, and to prevent pollution. Year One of the UHIPP (beginning October 1997 through September 1998) will focus on creating a viable partnership between three U.S. pilot cities and EPA; working with representatives in each pilot city to set up "Pilot City Teams;" comprised of air quality officials, policy makers, technical experts, NGOs, private industry, and others to work on the UHIPP; obtaining the necessary data (including satellite and high spatial resolution calibrated aircraft data to be supplied by NASA) to use as inputs into the modeling process to be undertaken by LBNL; gathering baseline information about the city (i.e. land use, tree begin developing a methodology which outlines how urban heat island measures can be included in SIPs to reduce the overall cost of compliance with the NAAQS. During Year Two (beginning October 1998 through September 1999), EPA will continue to work with the Pilot City Teams to develop an "Action Plan" based on both the results of the NASA/LBNL analysis as well as additional information gathered by the Pilot City Teams during the first year of the project. Although specific to each pilot city, the Action Plans will categorize land use across the city; estimate the areas of maximum potential for reflective surfaces and urban afforestation; identify which organizations within the city or a given community would be appropriate in helping to implement the mitigation measures; and outline and prioritize policy levers and potential programs that offer the largest cooling potential at the least cost. If successful, the Action Plans will form the basis for implementation of measures identified by each of the Pilot City Teams. At present, teams have been established in Salt Lake City, UT, Sacramento, CA, and Baton Rouge, LA, and data collection and analysis is now underway. The remaining sections of this paper will describe the type of data collection and analyses to be conducted by NASA and LBNL, and give an update on progress to date. An Update on the Urban Heat Island Pilot Project Return to Urban Studies Responsible Official: Dr. Steven J. Goodman (steven.goodman@nasa.gov) Page Curator: Diane Samuelson (diane.samuelson@msfc.nasa.gov) Last Updated: August 5, 1999