Heat Action Hub
Heat Action Hub
Cities across the U.S. are facing more frequent and extreme heat, expanding both the responsibility and opportunity for local leaders to protect residents’ health. The field is growing quickly, with an increasing number of resources, tools, and case studies emerging across national, state, and local levels. The challenge is knowing where to begin, what resources are most useful, and how to apply them based on where your city is starting.
Our Community Data Health Initiative (CDHI) team has spent the past three years working directly with cities through pilot projects and learning cohorts to support heat planning and implementation. This work has surfaced clear patterns in where cities get stuck, which tools are used in practice, and what leads to real progress. This hub reflects those insights, offering a focused set of resources to help cities move more quickly from planning to implementation.
Resources in our Heat Action Hub are organized around the six core steps from our Starter Guide for Mayors: Addressing Extreme Heat. Each resource includes guidance on what it offers and how to use it, so your team can take action with confidence. We recommend starting with the Starter Guide and then using this hub to go deeper based on where you are in the process.
Progress on extreme heat typically starts with clear ownership and strong coordination across departments like health, environment, housing, and emergency management. These resources show how cities have created innovative leadership roles, such as Chief Heat Officers and Chief Resilience Officers, to coordinate and oversee heat action planning.
Atlantic Council, Climate Resilience Center | Mayors & Chiefs of Staff | Overview of the Chief Heat Officer model as a governance solution. Explore how a centralized lead can unify cross-agency heat responses and meet some of the first-ever Heat Officers globally. | |
Data-Smart City Solutions, Community Data Health Initiative | Mayors & Chiefs of Staff | Podcast interview with Los Angeles' Chief Heat Officer, Marta Segura. Listen to lessons from LA on how cities can operationalize heat response through cross-agency coordination, data-driven decision-making, and equity-focused investments. | |
Data-Smart City Solutions, Community Data Health Initiative | Mayors & Chiefs of Staff | Case study on Miami-Dade’s Chief Heat Officer, Jane Gilbert, highlighting how her dedicated role drives cross-agency coordination, prioritizes vulnerable populations, and integrates heat into broader climate and resilience strategies. | |
Data-Smart City Solutions, Community Data Health Initiative | Department Leads | Spotlight on Tucson’s Chief Resilience Officer, Fatima Luna. Learn about Tucson’s Million Trees initiative and how cities can reduce heat exposure through large-scale urban greening that prioritizes high-risk neighborhoods and integrates equity into implementation. |
The most effective heat plans combine immediate protections with long-term mitigation. These resources help to identify proven interventions, tailor plans to your context, and build the case for investment based on health impact.
National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) | Department Leads | Central federal hub for heat data, forecasts, and planning resources. Use this to ground decisions in trusted national data and align local messaging and actions with federal guidance. | |
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Department Leads | Research-backed resource on urban heat islands and strategies to reduce them. Use this to identify long-term mitigation approaches such as cool surfaces, tree canopy, and built environment changes. | |
Atlantic Council, Climate Resilience Center | Department Leads | Extensive guide and step-by-step planning framework on heat adaptation for municipal leaders. Use this to build or refine a heat action plan, use the Policy Tool to find solutions tailored to your city's context, and connect with other experts tackling similar challenges. | |
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) | Department Leads | Global municipal playbook on heat preparedness and emergency response. Use this resource from the world's largest humanitarian network to strengthen short-term response systems, including alerts, coordination, and protections during extreme heat events. | |
Harvard Kennedy School | Department Leads | White paper with specific mayoral actions. Dive into research on heat impact, interventions, and partnerships for mayors, with a focus on vulnerable populations. | |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Department Leads | Database of over 1,000 resilience strategies drawn from resilience plans across the U.S. Use this to scan a wide range of approaches and identify options that could be adapted to your local context. | |
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group | Department Leads | Excel-based tool to quantify the health and economic benefits of heat interventions. Use this to prioritize investments and strengthen the case for funding based on projected impact. |
Targeting interventions requires a clear understanding of where heat risk is highest and who is most affected. These tools help cities identify neighborhood-level exposure, layer in vulnerability, and prioritize where to act.
Data-Smart City Solutions, Community Data Health Initiative | Department leads | Practical framework for using spatial data to inform environmental decision-making with a focus on health and equity, informed by city and academic partners and Esri. Use this step-by-step approach to build mapping tools that connect exposure, health impacts, and vulnerability to better target interventions. | |
National Weather Service | Department leads | Federal tool that translates temperature forecasts into health risk levels. Use this to assess real-time heat risk and inform operational decisions such as alerts, staffing, and public guidance. | |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | Department leads, Community members | Interactive maps that illustrate heat and health impacts. Identify communities at-risk for heat-related illness, explore historic trends, and see heat risk forecasts. | |
Department of Labor, Occupational Health & Safety Administration, CDC, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health | Department leads, Community members | Supervisor-oriented mobile application designed for workplace heat safety. Use this to assess heat risk for outdoor workers and identify protective actions to reduce exposure on the job. | |
Esri | Department leads | ArcGIS tutorial demonstrating how to map and analyze urban heat patterns. Use this to build internal capacity for spatial analysis and understand how to conduct heat mapping in your own city. | |
National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) | Department leads, Community members | Interactive mapping tool that combines projected heat exposure with social vulnerability indicators. Use this to identify communities facing the greatest combined risk and prioritize targeted interventions. |
Heat impacts are not evenly distributed and require targeted approaches. These resources support cities in identifying and designing interventions for high-risk groups, like children or outdoor workers, and embedding equity into planning and implementation.
Americares | Department leads, Community members | Toolkit to help healthcare facilities prepare for climate-related emergencies, including extreme heat. Use this to ensure clinics remain operational and protect patients during heat events. | |
Harvard Center for the Developing Child | Department leads, Community members | White paper and resource hub on how extreme heat impacts early childhood development and long-term health. Use this to inform policies and interventions that protect children and reduce lifelong health risks. | |
American Public Health Association | Department leads, Community members | Comprehensive public health resource hub for heat preparedness and response. Use this to engage healthcare providers as trusted messengers and strengthen health system responses to extreme heat. | |
Urban Institute | Department leads, Community members | White paper with a framework for embedding equity into heat adaptation planning. Use this to design interventions that prioritize communities most at risk and address underlying disparities in exposure and vulnerability. |
Clear, actionable communication is one of the most immediate ways cities can reduce risk. These resources help develop messaging that drives protective behaviors and equips staff and communities to respond effectively.
NIHHIS, NOAA, and CDC | Department leads, Community members | Central library of heat communication tools tailored to different audiences and risk levels. Use this to share clear, actionable guidance with residents, staff, and priority populations before and during heat events. | |
Minnesota Department of Health | Department leads, Community members | Collection of ready-to-use communication templates for heat emergencies. Use this to quickly adapt messaging for your city without starting from scratch. | |
County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office | Department leads, Community members | Comprehensive guide to community engagement in heat planning, including mapping, visioning, and intervention design. Use this to involve residents in identifying risks, setting priorities, and shaping solutions. |
Sustained progress often depends on strong partnerships. These opportunities help cities connect with peers, access expertise and funding, and build the relationships needed to move work forward.
Data-Smart City Solutions, Community Data Health Initiative | Department leads, Mayors & chiefs of staff | CDHI hosts peer learning and advisory cohorts for cities working on heat planning and implementation. Use this to connect with other cities, troubleshoot challenges, and receive practical guidance to move from planning to action. Reach out to Kate Murphy to learn more: kate_murphy@hks.harvard.edu. | |
Harvard Center on the Developing Child | Department leads, Mayors & chiefs of staff | Multi-part roundtable series facilitated by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child that brings together cross-sector leaders to address heat impacts on children. This series provides opportunity to build partnerships and develop coordinated approaches across stakeholder groups. Reach out directly if you are interested in replicating a similar process to the Boston, Massachusetts and Baltimore, Maryland examples. | |
EPA | Department leads | Compilation of federal funding opportunities for heat resilience. Use this to identify and pursue funding to support planning, implementation, and long-term investment. |
