1) What’s Happening
Facts & visualsStart with the big picture: how urban heat islands work, why nights stay hot, and the links to health.
Open the facts →Heat Justice Now is a student project that translates climate research into clear, human stories and practical actions. We focus on extreme heat because it’s the deadliest weather hazard—and because protections, shade, and cooling are distributed unequally.
Climate injustice means the harms and the help are not shared equally. Communities that contributed the least to the crisis often live with the highest exposure to heat, pollution, and flooding—while receiving the fewest protections.
The pattern isn’t random. Historic policies like redlining and uneven infrastructure investment created neighborhoods with fewer trees, more asphalt, and older housing—places that heat up fastest and cool down least.
Heat is already here. It intensifies existing inequities across work, housing, and transit. Outdoor workers face long shifts on hot pavement; tenants in older buildings struggle with unaffordable or inefficient cooling; and night heat prevents the body from recovering.
The good news: city cooling is solvable—from trees and shade to worker protections, cool roofs, and reliable access to cooling centers.
Start with the big picture: how urban heat islands work, why nights stay hot, and the links to health.
Open the facts →Short, reported snapshots of workers and residents facing the hottest hours—and why.
Meet the frontlines →From micro-actions to policy, support cooling projects, worker safety, and local climate justice groups.
Get involved →This site uses accessible language and editorial design to connect research to lived experience. Data visualizations are simplified placeholders where noted and can be replaced with official city or academic sources.
Design & code by Maria Beatriz Rodrigues for Parsons coursework. Typography & components follow the site’s design tokens (forest green for collective action, deep red for heat).
Thanks to community organizations, journalists, and researchers documenting urban heat, worker safety, and public health. Specific article links appear on the relevant pages (e.g., Who’s Affected case cards).
If you have experiences, photos, or local resources that could help others prepare for extreme heat, please reach out. Together we can cool streets, protect workers, and build a fairer city.
See ways to help