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Urban Heat Island Pilot Project (UHIPP)

Pilot Cities

To definition provided on the glossary page - Denotes link to glossary definition

Beginning in 1998, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Houston, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City participated in EPA's Urban Heat Island Pilot Project (UHIPP). The purpose of UHIPP was to:

EPA selected these cities based on the magnitude of the local ozone problem, the likelihood that the city could benefit from the use of heat island reduction measures, the availability of data, and local interest in initiating heat island reduction measures.

Each city had a community representative, who worked closely with EPA and federal researchers. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) scientists collected high spatial resolution data to measure and map surface temperatures and vegetation in these cities. This information, which was gathered by satellites and sensors mounted on jet airplanes, helped the cities identify "hotspots." The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) researchers conducted detailed land use land characterization of the cities to further help them identify target areas for change. LBNL also modeled the potential air temperature, energy, and air quality impacts from wide-scale adoption of heat island reduction measures. 

Although UHIPP ended in 2002, the data that these studies yielded have been serving as a foundation for current urban heat island activity in cities throughout the United States.

How Were the EPA-City Partnerships Formed?

The first step in launching UHIPP involved creating a viable partnership between the pilot cities and EPA. The Agency then worked with representatives in the pilot cities to establish local teams of air quality officials, policy makers, technical experts, non-governmental organizations, industry, and others.

In Baton Rouge, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City, for instance, partnerships were established between the participating government agencies and not-for-profit tree-planting organizations. These groups were charged with the responsibility of sharing scientific information and engaging the general public and city officials. Each approached this task differently, based on local circumstances.

What New Information Did UHIPP Collect?

Photo of a community tree planting. Tree planting can bring communities together and lead to cooler air.

Tree planting cools the air and brings communities together.

From 1998-2002, NASA and LBNL collected and analyzed several types of data from participating cities.

NASA collected high spatial resolution visible and infrared radiation To definition provided on the glossary page data to measure and map surface temperature and vegetation in UHIPP cities. in UHIPP cities. This information, gathered by satellites and sensors mounted on jet airplanes, identified "hotspots" within the city and enabled local officials to prioritize action to cool the community.

For research results and additional information regarding the pilot cities, see the city links above.

How Did UHIPP Participants and Others Share Information?

EPA maintained its relationship with UHIPP cities and other communities through facilitated conference calls. These calls provided an opportunity for pilot city representatives, heat island scientists, project coordinators, industry representatives, and other interested state and local officials to share information on current heat island mitigation activities and research.

After 2002, the focus of these conference calls shifted to broader topics related to urban heat island measurement and mitigation. Starting in 2008, these periodic meetings have been conducted by webcast.

Browse through the HIRI News archive for meeting summaries. For information on upcoming webcasts, see the Calendar.

To participate in free, national Urban Heat Island webcasts, contact Eva Wong (wong.eva@epa.gov).

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