Google Research is leveraging artificial intelligence to help cities combat extreme heat. The team's newly developed Heat Resilience tool analyzes satellite and aerial imagery to assist urban planners in quantifying the potential impact of cooling interventions. It's an AI-powered system that uses object detection and other models to assess elements such as green space coverage and roof reflectivity. This granular approach allows city officials to visualize the effects of strategies like planting more trees and adding cool roofs with highly reflective surfaces.
Currently being piloted in 14 US cities, the Heat Resilience tool is already informing policy decisions. Miami-Dade County, for instance, plans to use insights gleaned to incentivize heat mitigation measures in new property developments. Meanwhile, Stockton, California, employed an earlier version of the tool to identify potential urban heat island reduction projects.
According to forecasts by the UN, two out of every three people will live in urban areas by 2050 — places disproportionately affected by climate change. But, as Medellín in Colombia demonstrated with its ambitious network of 'Green Corridors,' progress is possible. Reasons to Be Cheerful reported that "Medellín's temperatures fell by 2°C in the first three years of the program, and officials expect a further decrease of 4 to 5°C over the next few decades, even taking into account climate change." Google's Heat Resilience tool and others like it give urban planners and heat officers in other cities the data they need to convince decision-makers to take similar actions asap.