Planning to mitigate heat in vulnerable neighborhoods: Applying the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ for h eat in two Boston neighborhoods

Heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard and a growing concern in cities worldwide. The frequency and severity of heat events and their impact on public health will only increase due to urban development and climate change. The most vulnerable populations in a community are disproportionately exposed and have fewer resources to respond to heat. City planners have an important role to play in urban heat resilience, but little guidance is available on how to effectively do so. Community plans are often produced in silos, resulting in contradictory policies and disjointed planning efforts. This study applies the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ (PIRS™) for Heat approach for the first time to the neighborhood level, examining how the City of Boston’s plans are affecting heat vulnerability in two neighborhoods with high heat exposure and social vulnerability. The analysis indicates that although Boston is a leader in proactively planning for heat citywide, the areas with the greatest heat risk within these two relatively hot and socially vulnerable neighborhoods are not prioritized for heat mitigation policies. This study highlights the importance of considering neighborhood-level plans through approaches such as PIRS™ for Heat to better understand how well a city is planning to mitigate heat.