Hot Spot Chicago

hot spot *CHICAGO * Cities are suffering from a double heat problem: On the local level, infrastructure traps heat in urban centers. On the global level, rising temperatures are making the climate much hotter everywhere. But Chicago is on a mission to deal with the heat by investing in new green infrastructure that can help keep things cool and cut down on future energy costs. Higher City of Chicago: Projected number of 100-degree days per year in Chicago Emissions Scenario 31 days 16 days Lower Emissions Scenario 8 days 7 days 5 days The downtown area and many 2 days developed pockets make up the hottest parts of the city. 1961-1990 2010-2039 2040-2069 2070-2099 City vs. Surrounding Area 1970 2010 By 2010 climate change on top In 1970 Chicago was 2.5° of urbanization has increased +2.5° +50 than a neighboring warmer Chicago's temperature to 5° rural town. warmer than the surrounding area. Green Roops Chicago contains the most green roofs of any city in the world outside Germany. iltaLNluLnluLATATANdadAAI Chicago contains 359 green roofs That's 5.5 million square feet of green roofs... .or roughly 95 football fields пипр "и SS +80° CITY HALL On a hot summer day, City Hall's green roof is 20,300 square feet. its surface temperature can be 80° cooler than the roofs around it. The project could provide a savings of approximately: 9,270 kWh/yr in cooling, 740 million Btus An annual, building-level per year in heating, enough to power 7 enough to power a energy savings of typical US household about $3,600. for almost a year. households for a year. Millennium Park Millennium Park covers parking garages, rail yards and acts as the floor of an opera house. At 24.5 acres, it is considered the largest green roof in the world. Green CAlleys & Streets Chicago has 1,900 miles of alleyways, Stretched end-to-end that's more than any other nearly as long as the city in the world. Oregon Trail. Because pub streets make up 23 percent of Chicago's area, they present an opportunity for the city to green a large portion of its land. Many of Chicago's alleys often flood because they were built without a connection to the city's combined sewer and stormwater system. Alleys with permeable pavement allow the earth to soak up 80 percent of rainfall. Evaporation allows air to rise, decreasing pavement and air temperatures. Lighter, more reflective pavement keeps surface temperatures cooler, conserves energy, and can even improve air quality by helping the survival of urban vegetation. Chicago hopes to broaden its green efforts in the future through: Installing dark-sky lights Using permeable pavers Encouraging the creation that direct light downward in parking lanes to allow of rain gardens to soak to reduce light pollution. for better street drainage. up excess rainwater. PBS NEWSHOUR CCC