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.
Boaz wrote to us with great enthusiasm to connect his Master’s thesis work to the pilot. Currently an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s student in Climate Change and Sustainable Territorial Development, his academic track is split between the University of Padova in Italy and the Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso.
He reflects that this dual mobility gives him a unique vantage point to observe how extreme urban heat impacts daily mobility and public spaces across vastly different socio-economic and geographic realities from Southern Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Boaz noted that he has been following my work on the 15-minute city framework and interest in how thermal comfort affects pedestrian mobility, and that this intersection is precisely where he would like to position his research, proposing the following Master’s thesis focus, designed to directly support our 2027 Urban Heat curriculum pilot: “Climate-Proofing Proximity: A Spatial and Lived-Experience Assessment of 15-Minute Neighborhood Accessibility Under Urban Heat Stress.”
He notes that “This research aims to investigate what happens to proximity-based urban models during extreme heatwaves, exploring whether vital services remain accessible on foot or if thermal stress forces residents into isolation or car dependence. The findings would provide a critical evidence base for the curriculum components you have outlined, particularly regarding municipal strategies, lived experiences, and public engagement around urban heat adaptation.”
With a solid foundational background in GIS, open-source mobile data collection (KoboToolbox, QField), and spatial analysis, Boaz reflected that he also approaches his work with a mindset of continuous learning and is also eager to step out of his comfort zone, take on new technical challenges, and adapt his skills to street-level urban resilience and citizen-science mapping.
Welcome Boaz, and we look forward to collaboration and your research!
-Annika, Pedestrian Space