Cities everywhere need to prepare for more extreme heat. But what does effective urban heat planning look like in practice?
As part of its new thematic focus on Urban Climate Adaptation, the Urban Sustainability Exchange invites urban practitioners, planners, civil servants, researchers, NGOs, and climate adaptation experts to join an online webinar with Dr Sara Meerow, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.
© Evgeniy Beloshytskiy / Unplash
In this session, Dr Meerow will outline seven heat resilience planning principles, drawing on examples from leading cities such as Phoenix, Arizona. She will also introduce practical tools and insights to support cities in developing more effective, coordinated, and equitable approaches to urban heat planning.
The webinar takes place during Germany’s Week of Climate Adaptation and will include an expert input followed by a moderated Q&A.
Event details
Title: Cities are getting hotter: 7 principles for urban heat planning
Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Time: 17:00 to 18:00 CEST / 09:00 to 10:00 MDT
Format: Online webinar via Zoom
Language: English
Speaker: Dr Sara Meerow, University of Colorado Boulder
Audience: Urban practitioners, planners, civil servants, researchers, NGOs, and anyone working on climate adaptation in cities
Agenda
- Welcome and introduction
- Brief introduction to USE and the new thematic focus on Urban Climate Adaptation
- Expert input by Dr Sara Meerow
- Seven heat resilience planning principles, city examples, and practical tools for urban heat planning
- Moderated Q&A
- Audience questions and discussion
About Sara Meerow
© Sara Meerow
Dr Sara Meerow is Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on urban resilience, climate adaptation, planning, governance, green infrastructure, and equity. She has written extensively on urban heat resilience and planning, including practical frameworks and tools to support cities in preparing for more extreme heat.
Closing note
This webinar is part of USE’s six-month thematic focus on Urban Climate Adaptation. Follow USE on LinkedIn for further events, case studies, and resources on how cities are responding to climate risks.