Cities are heating up, Richmond is no exception

Molly Manning, Contributing Writer

The summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded, and 2024 is not far behind, according to NASA. For the last 10 years, temperatures have increased year by year.

Cities specifically are getting hotter as well because they have the added effects of being urban heat islands.

This refers to the way that urban landscapes, specifically buildings and pavement, trap heat and re-emit it throughout the day much more than natural landscapes or areas, according to Jeremy Hoffman, director of climate justice and impact at Groundwork USA and affiliate faculty member at VCU and University of Richmond. 

“Over the last several years, in Virginia, we’ve seen several of the warmest summers on record,” Hoffman said. “Especially when looking at the overnight minimum temperatures, meaning the coolest temperature experienced throughout the day has gotten significantly warmer.”

The number of days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 C) has also increased and is projected to continue to do so, according to Hoffman.

Groundwork USA is a national nonprofit that has 21 place-based environmental justice nonprofits called “groundwork trusts,” including one in Richmond. Its mission is “to work with residents in frontline communities to reimagine the built environment, to mitigate the disproportionate risks of climate change on those frontline communities,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said cutting carbon emissions, designing cities to intentionally reduce the urban heat island effect and halting urban sprawl are ways to reduce the heat and the risk in cities.

Groundwork USA has been doing work in the Richmond community to document the cooling effect of a green space at Hotchkiss Community Center in the northside. They are trying to show the impact that greening and stormwater mitigation practices will have. They are also working with community members on the RVAgreen 2050 plan, according to Hoffman.

Damian Pitt, the VCU Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment associate director of policy and community engagement said, “If you look at Richmond, you look at the areas where we have those greater urban heat problems — those, by and large, correspond to neighborhoods that were formerly redlined back in the 50s.”

Pitt shared that these neighborhoods have been disinvested in over time, leading to correlations between racial demographics, socioeconomic status and public health impacts.

While the number of heat-related illnesses is rising throughout the city, the disparities between the hottest areas and the coolest can be up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit (8.89 C), according to CBS 6 News.

Communities of color are the most likely to have fewer trees, closer proximity to high-traffic areas and more multi-family homes, raising their exposure to high temperatures, according to University of Richmond’s Mapping Inequality project.

Ninety-four percent of formerly redlined communities and neighborhoods, such as Gilpin, a neighborhood north of Jackson Ward across Interstate 64, faced a nationwide average temperature difference of 5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 C), according to The New York Times and Mapping Inequality.

There were 120 emergency room visits reported in Richmond for heat-related illness in 2023, and certain places in the city have opened cooling centers for residents who may not have access to air conditioning or other cooling methods, according to VPM.

When heat advisories or indexes are pushed into the 90s, it is important for individuals to understand the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, such as confusion, heavy sweating, a rapid heartbeat, headache, dizziness, nausea and others, according to the National Weather Service.

Some individuals may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, including the elderly and individuals taking certain medications, with chronic illnesses or with preexisting medical conditions, according to the CDC.

Second-year student Jasmine Parks said she spends a lot of time outside and that this summer’s heat is a concern for her.

“I think it’s definitely opening a doorway to see the intensity of where we’re headed,” Parks said.

She also said she’s seen lots of articles about climate change that are concerning. Parks said the fact that hurricane season seemed to start a lot earlier this year than in the past was worrying.

Parks said she feels the biggest climate and heat issues in the city seem to be the air quality and the levels of transportation — specifically the amount of vehicles and seemingly lacking use of options such as carpooling.

“I think a big thing that is a problem in the city is all of the transportation, vehicles, buses and everything,” Parks said.

First-year biology and forensic science student Gauri Jha said she’s noticed summers getting hotter. It’s important to drink water and find shade when outside, she said.

“Climate change is something that should be on everybody’s mind,” Jha said.