As cities worldwide grapple with rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves, understanding how to cool our urban environments has never been more critical. This 3-credit hours course takes you from the science of why cities become thermal hotspots—sometimes 10°F warmer than surrounding areas, to the proven strategies transforming them into cooler, more livable spaces. You'll explore how a single mature tree can deliver the cooling power of two air conditioners, why green roofs slash surface temperatures by 30–40°F, and how strategic landscape design creates comfortable microclimates in even the densest neighborhoods. Through compelling case studies from Singapore's "City in a Garden" initiative to Philadelphia's $2.4 billion green infrastructure program, you'll discover the policy frameworks, design principles, and implementation strategies that are reshaping urban environments around the globe. Whether you're an architect, landscape professional, urban planner, or sustainability specialist, this course equips you with the technical knowledge and practical tools to combat urban heat while advancing stormwater management, biodiversity, public health, and environmental justice in the communities you serve.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the urban heat island effect and differentiate between surface urban heat islands and atmospheric urban heat islands, including canopy layer and boundary layer distinctions.
• Identify the primary causes and contributing factors of urban heat islands, including reduced vegetation, properties of urban materials, urban canyon geometry, anthropogenic heat release, and reduced wind flow.
• Explain the environmental, public health, and economic impacts of elevated urban temperatures on communities and infrastructure.
• Describe the physical mechanisms of evapotranspiration and shading and how they contribute to urban cooling.
• Apply concepts of urban microclimates and thermal comfort indices to evaluate outdoor environments and identify opportunities for cooling interventions.
• Compare landscape-based cooling strategies, including urban forests, street trees, parks, green corridors, cool pavements, and water features, and assess their relative effectiveness for different applications.
• Distinguish between extensive and intensive green roof systems and identify appropriate applications based on structural capacity, maintenance requirements, and performance goals.
• Quantify the thermal performance, energy savings, and stormwater management benefits of green roofs and other green infrastructure.
• Evaluate policy frameworks, regulatory approaches, and incentive programs that support urban heat island mitigation at the municipal level.
• Analyze case studies from cities worldwide to identify best practices and transferable strategies for urban cooling implementation.
• Recognize equity considerations in urban heat distribution and develop strategies to prioritize cooling investments in vulnerable and historically underserved communities.
• Integrate climate adaptation principles and emerging research into the planning and design of resilient urban cooling strategies.