At Pedestrian Space, we are developing the 2027 pilot for the Sustainable Urbanism & Planetary Health program with a focus on the issue of Urban Heat. We are collaborating with individuals across the world for pilots that focus on place-based approaches to advocacy and awareness-building, education, research, and knowledge exchange on issues of urban heat.
As part of this pilot, we are recording our conversations with collaborators around the world as well as students interested in pursuing academic internships related to the URBAN HEAT 2027 pilot. As part of that, we met with Yiheng, a penultimate-year Meng Sustainable Built Environment, Energy, and Resources student at the University College London.
He noted that he had recently been introduced to our work on urban sustainability and mobility and was interested in collaborating on our URBAN HEAT pilot and lab. Yiheng’s academic background sits at the intersection of urban climate resilience, sustainability of buildings and urban environment, and social equity/just transition, which he observed aligns well with Pedestrian Space’s focus on advocacy and lived experiences of urban residents. We agree!
His own experience includes:
- Qualitative assessments of pedestrian overheating risk taking into account factors such as urban geometry and typology as categorized by the local climate zone system and their effects on urban heat
- Analyzing the distribution of heat-vulnerable populations to assess equitable access to urban heat mitigation.
- Designing urban interventions addressing the aforementioned assessment utilizing green infrastructure and quantified effects of infrastructure
- Delivering research and public engagement, including a student-staff research project on the effectiveness of climate solution design modules in preparing their students for public engagement work, as well as running noise pollution public awareness and reduction campaigns.
Yiheng reflected: ‘I am particularly drawn to Pedestrian Space’s approach of exploring walkability in a transdisciplinary manner, and I would be excited to apply my own perspectives from urban sustainability, the effects of urban heat on pedestrians, and adaptive measures to build climate resilience in cities.’
We are happy you chose Pedestrian Space and look forward to collaborating with you Yiheng!
-Annika