Making Cities Cool Again through Place-based Urban Cooling Strategies - INTERN

Making Cities Cool Again through Place-based Urban Cooling Strategies

This webinar is part of the RAIC 2024 Conference on Architecture, now available to stream!

Topics: Climate Justice and Resilience, Sustainability, Adaptation and Mitigation

Length: 1 hour | What's Included: Video, Quiz, and Certificate of Completion 

Urban centers are generally 15-degrees warmer than their hinterlands, due to the urban heat island effect. With 70% of humanity projected to live in cities by 2050, something must be done to mitigate increasing urban heat in a time of climate emergency. This presentation looks at drivers/mitigation strategies for urban heat including 1] the role of local policymakers to require place-based resiliency networks, in support of provincial/national-level resiliency goals, 2] international examples of innovative, forward-leading legislation for urban cooling strategies, 3] site/building-specific urban cooling strategies, as well as resources for both residential and commercial structures, and 4] ROI of urban cooling by promoting evidence-based design, stormwater mitigation, urban “re-wilding”, decarbonization, alignment, and social justice. This session will explore the interconnected role of policymakers, planners, owners, architects, and engineers to mitigate urban heat.

By the completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the overlap between urban cooling strategies and compliance with leading third-party ratings systems.
• Recognize how urban cooling plays a role in alignment with the UN Sustainability Development Goals.
• Compare existing and emerging legislation aimed at urban cooling, as well as how urban cooling provides other co-benefits to urban areas.
• Identify the unique roles of various stakeholders involved within resiliency projects, as well as how they can collaborate to foster increased resiliency on projects.

Subject Matter Expert:

Blake Jackson
AIA, LEED Fellow
Director, Sustainability, NORR

Blake Jackson is an architect working at the nexus of sustainability, wellness, resiliency, and equity. He is the Director of sustainability for NORR, an 800-person integrated architecture and engineering company, headquartered in Toronto, with locations in the US, UK, and Canada. Blake has 23 years’ of experience in the AEC industry, holding a Bachelor of Architecture from Kennesaw State University and a Master of Architecture in Sustainable Environmental Design from the AA Graduate School. Blake is a prolific author, speaker, and educator on topics affecting the built environment. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for UMASS Dartmouth’s Interior Design Program, and from 2016-2018, he was elected Vice President of Advocacy of the Boston Society of Architects. In 2015, Blake was recognized by Building Design and Construction Magazine as a national “40 Under 40” AEC professional, and in 2021, he was named a LEED Fellow by the USGBC for his contributions to the green building movement.