On a 93-degree day in downtown Kansas City, the blazing sun made it feel even hotter.

Gregory Houston, an ambassador for Kansas City’s Downtown Council, was cleaning up a small park at the corner of 12th Street and Walnut, where temperatures can feel more than 10 degrees warmer than a rural baseline set by researchers in a new analysis.

“I have to drink a lot of water and be careful of things like that,” Houston said. There are “a few places to cool off,” such as a nearby bench, Houston added, but he is careful not to stay too long.

Houston spends eight hours a day and sometimes more in the classic Kansas City neighborhoods Urban heat islands — Areas surrounded by sidewalks, high-rise buildings, and roads and highways that reflect heat. They are often densely populated and have very few trees to compensate for the temperature difference.

In densely populated areas, people contribute to rising temperatures by driving cars and running air conditioners, which cool indoor spaces but push out huge amounts of warm air.

Cooler areas of the city are usually less densely populated or more spacious and have uniform tree cover.

“Sometimes I take the bus after work and notice that there are more trees and therefore it is cooler,” Houston said.

The Analysis by the non-profit organization Climate Central shows that temperatures in areas like the Downtown Loop, the River Market, and parts of the Plaza and Westport can feel 10 to even 12 degrees warmer than in the rural areas that scientists used as a reference point.

Lorin Simmons works in construction throughout the city and said the inner city often has the harshest climate, requiring a precarious balance.

“You definitely have to keep your cool, but you also have to stay busy,” Simmons said. “Don’t overdo it, but keep the momentum going, because if you stop, you’re done.”

Last year, the heat index in Kansas City exceeded 120 degrees – a city record. An analysis by Kansas City Water Service and Climate Look suggests that the average annual temperature in Kansas City will rise by 4 degrees by mid-century.

Last year also saw the highest number of heat-related deaths nationwide since records began.

As temperatures rise around the world, urban planners and environmental experts are increasingly working to cool heat islands.

Thermal image

Three years ago, a heat mapping analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association found that Kansas City had the seventh highest urban heat island intensity of the 60 cities studied.

The campaignled by Dr. Fengpeng Sun of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, gathered 50 volunteers who drove several routes in the urban area over the course of a day. This project was the first to collect such a large dataset: about 71,820 measurements, from which a high-resolution heat map for the area was created.

Last year, Climate Central used this work as a reference point for a census tract analysis based on land-use data. This year, the analysts dug even deeper and created a map showing the hottest census tracts.

They found 372,702 people in Kansas City, Missouri, apartment blocks living in an area where temperatures have risen by at least eight degrees this year. Their 2023 census map showed that area is home to about 783,000 people in the entire metropolitan area.

Jen Brady, Climate Central’s lead analyst, said they wanted to zoom in as far as possible to give people a clear sense of which neighborhoods are most at risk. The larger the area, the more likely it is that a single large piece of land will skew the results.

Brady said this data is valuable because people often don’t realize they are living or working in dangerous heat unless they are warned about it.

“It’s just part of the danger that we often don’t notice the heat that we’re experiencing and just take it for granted,” Brady said.

Using data about their neighborhoods, cities can better focus on where they need to start mitigation initiatives.

Johnson and Wyandotte counties experienced their own analysis together with NOAA last summer to identify the areas most affected by heat island effects. The campaign spanned about 200 miles in Johnson County and 100 miles in Wyandotte County, with about 200 trained volunteers who had sensors attached to their vehicles.

“This is really important data, not just in terms of how hot a hot day is, but where a hot day is hottest, who is affected and what we can do about it,” said Brian Alferman, Johnson County sustainability program manager.

Impact on the community

Some of the impacts on public health are obvious – heat stroke and dehydration are among the biggest concerns – but heat islands can also lead to poorer air quality.

“We know how our climate has changed. We know that our summers are getting longer, that they’re starting earlier, that there’s less rain and more droughts,” said Jackson Ward, a Johnson County epidemiologist. “We know how that affects health in subsequent years.”

From the perspective of energy management can drive up energy costs in the most affected communities.

In Johnson County, homes and businesses along I-35, in the Gardner-Edgerton area and west of Olathe were hardest hit.

In Wyandotte County, Armourdale, Argentine and Northeast Kansas City were hardest hit. The people in these communities are predominantly Latino and black.

Hannah Conner, a social epidemiologist with the Unified Government Public Health Department, said the heat map matches historical redlining maps almost perfectly.

“Incomes in Armourdale, Argentine and Northeast KCK are quite low, so we see high energy burdens in census tracts with low median household incomes,” Conner said.

According to a report by the Climate+Energy Project, neighborhoods rated “D” and “C” by the Home Owners Loan Corporation — “dangerous” and “declining” neighborhoods that are ineligible for most home loans or investments — tend to have higher surface temperatures and fewer trees.

These poorly rated neighborhoods include Rosedale, parts of Westport and Midtown, neighborhoods around Swope Parkway, Blue Valley, the Historic Northeast, Armourdale, many parts of Kansas City, Kansas, and others.

Sowing the seeds of change

A common solution is to improve an area’s tree canopy. Measurements around the metro by the environmental organization Bridging the Gap showed that even a little shade can keep temperatures up to 20 degrees lower.

Joe Wheelock, program manager for Bridging the Gap’s Heartland Tree Alliance, said they are currently working to apply this knowledge through a tree planting initiative in collaboration with the Crossroads Community Association.

By the end of the year, their project will have planted 150 to 200 new trees along the sidewalks.

According to Climate Central’s 2024 map, temperatures in Crossroads are about eight degrees warmer on any given day based on the heat index, and the area lies south of some of the city’s hottest islands. Only 3% of the area is covered by trees, according to the community association.

“In many of our hottest areas where this green infrastructure wasn’t actually planned, it’s difficult to step back and make room for it,” Wheelock said. “But as we know, it’s going to be really important.”

Rick Usher, board member of the Crossroads Community Association and director of its Street Trees Initiativesaid the tree planting efforts will not end at the end of the year. The goal of the program is to plant 100 new trees each year.

“The most important thing in a tree program is ongoing maintenance, watering and care of the trees,” he said. “We’ve seen many examples of trees being planted, no one watering or caring for them, or over the years the metal screens that may be in the tree holes are not removed and the tree grows over them and dies.”

In addition to local organizations, Kansas City, Missouri, authorities are using grants to plant 10,000 trees over the next three years. The city applied for and was selected for a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve tree canopies from planting to maintenance.

They also focus on ways to reduce energy burden through energy efficiency programs such as Water and energy saver and renewable energy programs such as Share the sun.

The city government has also established ten cooling centers across the city and is currently exploring ways to use cool surfaces in future construction projects.

Planning for the future

Tom Jacobs, chief resilience officer and director of environmental programs at the Mid America Regional Council, praised the ongoing efforts of both Bridging the Gap and the City of Kansas City.

MARC and Evergy are currently evaluating mitigation measures in eight neighborhoods adjacent to Independence Avenue where significant heat island impacts are reported.

A previous study conducted by UMKC in support of the initiative found that the area has many impervious surfaces. It also showed where existing tree canopy cover could be improved and where new trees could be planted alongside gray infrastructure such as roads, buildings and sidewalks.

“Evergy will also be testing different technologies for white roofs, whether it’s paint or different roofing materials, and we will evaluate how well that works,” Jacobs said.

Such efforts were not made 10 years ago, says Jacobs. He welcomes the change, but notes that planners will need to think differently in the future to avoid making the same mistakes and further exacerbating the impacts of heat islands.

“So how do we design and build the city as we grow, evolve and redevelop?” Jacobs asked. “I think there’s a lot more support, support for doing this in a more environmentally friendly way.”

On a smaller scale, everyone can help by planting native trees and plants in their garden or on their balcony. People can Bridging the Gap website to learn more about how you can volunteer, get a free tree, or get advice on native plants.