Bloomington, Indiana – Beginning next Monday, the city of Bloomington expects to significantly reduce heat-related health problems by putting heat sensors all around different sites. Under the direction of the city’s Office of Sustainability, this project seeks to intentionally track and evaluate temperature fluctuations in order to find and fix urban hotspots.
A total of 13 sensors will be installed at key locations to gather temperature distribution data. This information will help city officials, especially in areas lacking adequate vegetation, apply focused heat reduction plans. Shawn Miya, Assistant Director of Sustainability in Bloomington, claims that regions without vegetation may have temperatures as much as 20 degrees higher than their more green equivalents.
“We want to see that temperature distribution across the city,” Miya said. “And that will help us know where our hotspots are and to develop cooling strategies.”
Based on the data these sensors provide, the city intends to implement numerous cooling strategies. These include setting cooling stations, shading bus stops, and improving the green landscape by adding additional plants and trees.
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Extreme heat presents serious health hazards; personally known to Miya from a heat-induced fainting episode, this fact causes great concern.
“On one really hot, humid evening, I went for a hike with a friend,” Miya said. “And I was fine one minute, and then the next minute, I fainted.”
Miya became a passionate champion for increasing knowledge of the risks of extreme heat and the need of community cooling projects after the incident left her needing seven stitches above her left eye.
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With this initiative, Bloomington intends to not only enhance urban comfort but also protect its citizens against the health risks connected with high temperatures. The city’s more general dedication to improve environmental sustainability and public health safety includes this proactive component.
