The greater Portland region, like many places in the world, is experiencing the impact of climate change in the form of more frequent and longer periods of extreme heat at higher temperatures. People of color, older adults, people with low income and unhoused people are more vulnerable to these changes.
These effects on people are compounded by damage to the natural environment and critical infrastructure, such as buckling roads and transit rail lines, and heat-related power outages.
Metro is working with subject matter experts, community-based organizations and jurisdictions to learn how communities across the world are addressing more frequent, intense and prolonged extreme heat events.
Study outcomes
The cooling corridors study will result in a regional approach that will guide future policies and investment decisions. Metro will identify areas of heat risk and create potential intervention strategies for those areas. The strategies will be identified through:
- Best practices research
- A review of federal guidance and governmental tools and programs
- Engagement with expert panels and community-based organizations.
Research findings and recommendations will be summarized in a final report that includes:
- Research on existing efforts and best practices in the region and peer regions, including cost-effectiveness and benefits of different approaches
- Regional geographic information system (GIS) analysis (e.g., heat island mapping, topography, hydrology, meteorology, land cover, tree canopy) to visualize heat risk areas, existing cooling corridors and potential opportunities to connect existing cooling corridors
- Equity analysis to understand which geographic areas and communities in the region are disproportionately affected by urban heat
- Implementation recommendations on ways to help make the region cooler and provide relief during extreme heat events
- A network of subject matter experts, community-based organizations and jurisdictions to engage in heart resiliency projects and strategies for funding moving forward.