Urban Sprawl Could Make Cities Hotter

by Alan Mozes

If global warming does drive temperatures upward, cities with urban sprawl may be more prone to extreme heat than less spread-out centers, new research suggests.

That means that sprawling metro-regions such as Tampa, Grand Rapids and Atlanta may be experiencing very hot days at more than double the rate of more dense cityscapes such as Chicago, Boston and Baltimore, said study lead author and urban planner Brian Stone of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The difference may be caused in large part by deforestation, according to Stone. Between 1992 and 2001, such clearing of the "green" cover of trees and other vegetation -- previously shown to contribute to rising temperatures in cities -- was underway at more than twice the rate in sprawling regions than in dense urban centers.

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Chicago, by jonmartin ()

more about urban sprawl:

A comparison of urban shrinkage in Baltimore (Maryland, USA) and Osaka (Japan) : reversed patterns of urban decline ?

Urban Sprawl beyond Growth: from a Growth to a Decline Perspective on the Cost of Sprawl

Real Estate Brokerage to Unfettered Development: A History of Sprawl