Spring20_Mag_Combined_WEB_single_pages

EXTREME HEAT kills more people in the United States than any other type of hazardous weather and will likely become deadlier due to climate change. But temperatures don’t affect everyone equally—they can vary widely between different neighborhoods in the same city. A new study by researchers at PSU and the Science Museum of Virginia is one of the first to link historical discriminatory housing policies across the U.S. to differences in heat exposure. “We found that those urban neighborhoods that were denied municipal services and support for home ownership during the mid-20th century now contain the hottest areas in almost every one of the 108 cities we studied,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of urban studies and planning at PSU. “The patterns of the lowest temperatures in specific neighborhoods of a city do not occur because of circumstance or coincidence. They are a result of decades of intentional investment in parks, green spaces, trees, transportation and housing policies that provided ‘cooling services,’ which also coincide with being wealthier and whiter across the country.” In Portland, the researchers found an almost 13-degree difference in temperatures, the biggest of any city studied. The researchers hope revealing the underlying patterns of extreme heat will help planners and policy makers do a better job mitigating it. For instance, Friends of Trees, a Portland nonprofit, has used Shandas’ heat maps to home in on areas that need more trees. HOT SPOTS In Portland, researchers recorded some of the highest temperatures along the I-5 corridor; 82nd Avenue between Interstate 84 and Southeast Foster Road; and in industrial areas in inner Southeast. STUDENT SUPPORTS PSU is the first four-year institution in the nation to receive a grant from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Training and Education Program, which is designed to promote self-sufficiency for people who receive food stamp benefits. PEDAL POWER Last fall, United Parcel Service (UPS) began delivering packages on campus using a zero-emissions, electrically- assisted cargo trike that can more easily navigate in tight, urban areas. 1 st 0 → SPRING 2020 // 5 SUPR LAB, PSU