{"319321":{"#nid":"319321","#data":{"type":"news","title":"With a few steps, cities can drastically reduce heat-related deaths","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHeat is the deadliest natural disaster facing the United States \u2013 killing more people than hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes combined. The bulk of these deaths occur in cities, which are heating up about twice as fast as the rest of the planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe number of heat-related deaths is projected to more than double by 2050. A new study from Georgia Institute of Technology shows these deaths can be drastically reduced \u2013 and in some cases nearly eliminated \u2013 if city leaders and urban planners adapt a few basic strategies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study focused on Atlanta, Philadelphia and Phoenix and found on average that the projected increase in heat-related deaths would be reduced by nearly 60 percent if cities plant more trees and increase green space; decrease impervious surface areas such as parking lots; and increase the reflectivity of roads and rooftops. If these methods were implemented in Atlanta, the city would see no increase in heat-related deaths over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis shows that large cities in different regions of the country can significantly reduce deaths and improve overall quality of life if they embrace these strategies,\u201d said Brian Stone, an associate professor in the School of City and Regional Planning in the College of Architecture. \u201cMany cities already use some of these sustainability efforts but they must be implemented on a greater scale if we are to have a true impact.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study supports other research about the urban heat island effect, which turns cities into cauldrons because of the combined impact of climate change and rising temperatures driven by a predominance of concrete and a shortage of vegetation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers computed multiple projections regarding population growth, housing and construction changes, global and urban temperature increases and heat-related illnesses and deaths. They also tested the impact of different heat management strategies to offset the projected deaths.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Atlanta and Philadelphia the greatest success came from a combination of enhanced vegetative cover and reflective roofing and paving materials, said Stone, director of the Urban Climate Lab at Georgia Tech. Phoenix, because of its lack of water, saw the greatest improvement through increased use of reflective materials.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe latest findings direct cities on how to address this issue. Stone\u2019s previous work led Louisville, Kentucky to conduct a heat management study that will provide the city with the first heat management plan for any city worldwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the four-year study. The findings are published in \u003Cem\u003EPLOS ONE\u003C\/em\u003E and can be read here: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0100852\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0100852\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech study suggests ways to reduce deadly effects of heat"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHeat-related deaths are likely to soar over the next several decades, but that increase could be cut by more than half \u2014 and in some cases\u0026nbsp;virtually\u0026nbsp;eliminated \u2014 if major cities embrace a greener footprint, according to a new study from Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The four-year study completed by Georgia Tech is the first major national assessment of the health of those who live in major cities, the impact of rising temperatures and what city leaders can do to alleviate the crisis."}],"uid":"27918","created_gmt":"2014-08-27 08:21:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:59","author":"Laura Diamond","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"291221":{"id":"291221","type":"image","title":"Campus Tree Canopy","body":null,"created":"1449244289","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:51:29","changed":"1475894988","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:48","alt":"Campus Tree Canopy","file":{"fid":"199238","name":"tower_green.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tower_green_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tower_green_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6183319,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tower_green_0.jpg?itok=A5jlf5Py"}},"55865":{"id":"55865","type":"image","title":"Brian Stone","body":null,"created":"1449175598","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:46:38","changed":"1475894496","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:36","alt":"Brian Stone","file":{"fid":"190394","name":"Stone_Brian_CRP_Web_photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stone_Brian_CRP_Web_photo_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stone_Brian_CRP_Web_photo_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":282362,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stone_Brian_CRP_Web_photo_0.jpg?itok=0-HG7DJ0"}},"130461":{"id":"130461","type":"image","title":"Brian Stone","body":null,"created":"1449178647","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:27","changed":"1475894736","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:36","alt":"Brian Stone","file":{"fid":"194659","name":"stone.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stone_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stone_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3131696,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stone_0.jpg?itok=DYoahO-A"}}},"media_ids":["291221","55865","130461"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.diamond@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}