Las Vegas urban planners working to adapt to a warmer future

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas just wrapped up its hottest October which followed the hottest summer— a local impact of a global trend. 2024 is projected to be the hottest year on record across the planet.

Warming is expected to continue in the years to come, which means longer and stronger heat waves for the southwest. Fortunately, there are groups in the region looking at the issue.

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A couple of years ago, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) launched a heat mapping campaign.

The organization learned that heat is more of a risk for certain neighborhoods. As a result, RTC built transit shelters for the bus system in those areas.

“We’ve installed close to 150 new transit shelters across the valley using the results to prioritize areas that were hottest," said Paul Gully, RTC's Principle Transportation Planner.

Heat played a role in a record-breaking number of deaths this summer in Las Vegas.

“We've experienced more than 400 heat-related deaths this year. That's more than the number of traffic accident fatalities and homicides over the course of the year. And at the RTC, the comfort and safety of our transit riders is a top priority. We know that our transit riders experience more heat exposure than someone who drives their own car simply because they're out in the elements for longer periods of time," Gully explained.

Desert Research Institute played a pivotal role in some of the heat work RTC has undertaken.

"They were actually the ones that brought the heat island mapping campaign to our attention and encouraged us to apply for it," Gully said.

"We build cities in regions that are relatively hot. So the my research is aiming to understand how we can make these cities more resilient," said Dr. John Mejia, atmospheric scientist with the Desert Research Institute.

Mejia works in tandem with multiple research groups in the valley to tackle our changing climate, including RTC.

He told Channel 13 he utilizes state-of-the-art computer modeling to research how cities like Las Vegas can responsibly balance all of the constraints in play for planning from drought to heat to urban island effect to rapid expansion.

But, working to develop sustainability can be a challenge to cities like Las Vegas, as no one is in charge of heat while it continues to worsen globally with localized impacts.

“There's no one agency or one solution that's going to adequately answer that question. That's why it's imperative that agencies across the valley work collaboratively and coordinate and try and tackle tackle this issue from different angles, it's going to take a lot to just slow the warming, let alone stop it. So, regional coordination and collaboration is going to be key going forward," Gully said.

In preparation for a hotter future, RTC said they're developing a Southern Nevada Transportation Resiliency Improvement Plan, funded by a $750,000 U.S. Department of Transportation PROTECT Grant, to address future transportation needs with a focus on climate, safety, and equity.

The plan will establish a comprehensive strategy for managing extreme heat, evaluating current programs and identifying gaps in transportation and community resources. It's set to launch early next year.

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