Uploaded on 2016-03-16 by chenray

2) I have not experienced the "urban heat effect". I don't go to the urban areas of the DC region often during peak times (e.g. rush hour). Large amounts of vehicles in traffic during the summer may result in increased heat. Surrounding areas are beginning to have pockets of urbanization, but, IMO, not expansive enough to result in trapped heat or a significant UHI. ![Georgetown, DC][1] As seen, the buildings so close together cause the UHI. Further, additional pedestrian and vehicular traffic create more heat. Even further, vents bring heat up from underground into the UHI. All of these are present throughout the DC urban areas. ![Northern MD][2] However, once you travel away from DC (e.g. 1 hour driving), the area quickly becomes suburban and some parts even rural (depending on what time you are doing the 1 hr of driving since DC traffic could be disastrous). The suburban areas have lots of greenery and often, properties including condos and townhouses, are surrounded by mature trees. These trees create shade while also allow heat to dissipate. These areas are also much less densely populated than the DC urban areas. 3) As the area continues to develop and the area considered part of the DC metro continues to expand, developers must consider the effects of their developments. Therefore, large projects should include greenery and UHI mitigation efforts. Avoid the use of expansive parking lots, but include more areas with trees (or at least grass) within the parking lot. Even better is to include solar panels in these large parking lots. Further, every project should consider traffic and roads and infrastructure should facilitate the ease of transportation, including public transportation options. 4) As for policies, I don't know of specific ones, but some may include limiting the types of buildings in certain areas, having lower limits for property sizes to avoid overdevelopment and overpopulation, and planned communities (e.g. Reston) includes a lot of parks, trails and green space. There are also many parks spread throughout the region, which I'm assuming, have been protected by the local government, since the land is very valuable. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/145809847314318.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14580985072274874.jpg