Urban Land Institute Gowanus Urban Heat Island Effect Technical Assistance Panel

JLP+D President chaired the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel to study urban heat island effect in Gowanus, Brooklyn. ULI New York partnered with the Urban Resilience program and South Brooklyn community-based non-profit and advocacy group, the Fifth Avenue Committee, to host a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) in Brooklyn. The panel explored how a potential rezoning in the Gowanus neighborhood could address Urban Heat Island (UHI) mitigation. Gowanus, which was developed as an industrial area and was New York City’s first Superfund site, is more vulnerable to extreme heat than its surrounding communities in part because of its lack of parks and open space, heavy traffic, and poor air and water quality. The panel identified a series of measures to mitigate the UHI effect, including increasing vegetative coverage wherever possible, undertaking a series of transit improvements, and significantly increasing building efficiency. The panel also explored funding and implementation strategies, including the establishment of a Green Infrastructure Fund.