Thermalscape Tactics – Solutions in Response to Ubiquitous Heat Threat in El Paso

Xiaoyu Li, Jingxi Peng, Robert D. Brown, Dongying Li, Kirk Hamilton

Project Statement

Global climate change affects different geographies and populations disproportionately. El Paso, a Hispanic majority city located in the hot desert climate zone, experiences increasing frequencies of extreme heat. Annual temperatures is 3 degrees warmer than the same period a century earlier, and the hottest monthly average temperature could reach 98 F, indicating the severe heat threat.

Despite the recognition of climate change adaptation in the design disciplines and high-level planning efforts, site-scale methodologies to mitigate extreme heat have been scarce. As a means of responding to the heat threat, this project establishes and evaluates thermalscape tactics as an applicable framework to address the heat threats and mitigate the impacts on vulnerable user groups. The project investigated the heat threat in downtown El Paso through field micrometeorological measurements and three-dimensional simulation. Thermalscape tactics reconceptualize functionalities of landscape elements that deliver adaptability in ambient heat regulation; subsequently, thermalscape toolkits are developed and applied to the I-10 freeway deck park project. As a methodology of quantitative evaluation, additional simulations were conducted to reveal the performance of the interventions.

“Extreme heat is a significant concern for public health. This project explored how site-scale landscape elements could be used to mitigate extreme heat and cold threats in a dry desert climate. A simulation model was developed to test the thermal effectiveness of various design strategies within a proposed park in El Paso, TX. The final outcome was a thermalscape toolkit that could be potentially calibrated for use in different climates.”

— 2022 ASLA Student Awards Jury

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