How City Design Can Cool Down Your Neighborhood

Adding green spaces, painting roads lighter colors and more efforts are becoming successful in cooling cities as temperatures rise.

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that heat waves are becoming more frequent in the U.S. In the 60s, there was an average of two heat waves a year. During the 2010s, that went up to six per year.

The National Weather Service predicts July, August and September of this year will be hotter than normal. June has already set the stage for a scorcher. There was a record-breaking heat wave in the Midwest and the Southeast, impacting over 60 million Americans.

It’s not just happening in the U.S. Japan is experiencing the worst heatwave it’s seen since 1875. Officials told residents to use less electricity and to ration air conditioning to help combat power shortages. In Europe, Rome tied its hottest temperature on record and several other cities hit records as well.