Uploaded on 2015-10-20 by DCWan

Nashville, the closest city where I live is about 17 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in the city than in nearby rural areas. In addition, there are 25 more days of 90 degrees than in rural areas. I was surprised by Atlanta. Atlanta is well known for the car traffic, has a larger airport, and has a denser population per square kilometer. Yet it is 16 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in the city than in nearby rural areas. In addition, there are 0 days of 90 degrees than in rural areas. **2. Which are the main UHI effects that you can identify in your area?** I live in the suburban city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which is about 33 miles southeast of Nashville. Based on the Climate Central website, Nashville is about While Murfreesboro is a suburban city, I have no doubt that Murfreesboro also a UHI effect, though less pronounced. Based on [Accuweather][1] weather recordings, I've noticed 'minor' changes on average heat readings over the course of one year focusing on the month of October. There have been a few unusual temperature readings like the past few days (October 16 – October 19) where there were frost warnings. Below is a placed called Eagleville, Tennessee (18 miles SW of Murfreesboro) ![enter image description here][2] Below is the square of Murfreesboro (best picture I could find) ![enter image description here][3] **3. Which are the measures you would propose?** - Limit the number of car parking areas (A proposal similar to Zurich) - Areas where there are 'No vehicle' zones - Green grass roofs in combination with photovoltaic solar panels might be a great combination for cooling the building as well as collecting renewable solar energy - Include more plant-life within city zones like shrubs, potted plants, trees, etc. A far-off recommendation I would also suggest would be to integrate the sides of the buildings with strips of algae, which would naturally absorb CO2 through photosynthesis. These algae strips can be deployed in high-density urban centers, where the tall buildings offer a much greater surface area. In addition, it provides a unique architectural addition to the building outlook as well as providing biofuel. **4. Is UHI effect concerning policy making in your area?** Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is any UHI effect concerning policy making in my area. Since recommendations in improving UHI are mostly long-term, it is very difficult to show policy makers the long-term effects as the improvements are longer than politician’s election cycles. Sources: - https://bw-2e2c4bf7ceaa4712a72dd5ee136dc9a8-bwcore.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/Eagleville.jpg - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Downtown_murfreesboro9741.JPG [1]: http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/murfreesboro-tn/37130/month/331085?monyr=10/01/2015 [2]: https://bw-2e2c4bf7ceaa4712a72dd5ee136dc9a8-bwcore.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/Eagleville.jpg [3]: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Downtown_murfreesboro9741.JPG