Investigative Series: D.C.’s Heat Islands /
Serie: Islas de Calor en D.C.
As part of Hola Cultura’s investigative series produced by SPEL’s Environmental Justice storytelling team, we present this three-part report on summertime temperatures in D.C.; the connection between heat, trees and human health; and how to cool down D.C. Read this important series and find out how heat treats you and others in the District.
This project was supported with funds from the Pulitzer Center, the Fund for Investigative Journalism, and Spotlight DC.
Como parte de nuestro serie de investigación proyecto de verano, producido por el grupo de justicia social del programa S.P.E.L, tenemos este reportaje gigante de tres partes. Temperaturas de verano en D.C., calor, árboles y salud, y como enfriar D.C. Lea esta importante serie y ubique como le trata el calor y dónde está usted localizado en los mapas.
Este proyecto fue apoyado con fondos del Pulitzer Center, el Fondo para el Periodismo de Investigación y Spotlight DC.
Our Heat Islands investigative series, also published in the Washington City Paper, received an honorable mention in the 2022 Institute for Nonprofit News awards.
Explore the map: If you live or work in D.C., type your address in the box above and see if you spend time in one of the District’s heat island neighborhoods. Below interact with more maps that illustrate the problems related to urban heat islands.
Read in English
Temperatures in DC’s Heat Islands, Can Register Ten to Twenty Degrees Hotter Than in Leafy Neighborhoods
This summer, record high temperatures were recorded across the nation. But on a micro-level, a different effect takes force in major cities–urban heat islands. Temperatures can soar as much as 10 or 20 degrees higher than in leafier parts of the District. Neighborhoods like Columbia Heights tend to have more asphalt and less tree cover–paving the way for heat islands to form. Find out more about conditions today and their connection to historic redlining and ongoing housing discrimination.
Summer Heat Can Lead to Adverse Health Reactions for Residents Across DC
Heat, tree cover and human Health: How D.C.’s summertime heat extremes take a toll on human health, particularly children, the elderly and pregnant women, as well as individuals with chronic health conditions.
Cooling DC Requires Thinking About Who’s Most Vulnerable to Heat
Heat, development & how to reduce summertime extreme heat: Decisions about real estate and neighborhood development can increase or decrease urban heat and who is most vulnerable.
Leer en Español
Las temperaturas en las Islas del Calor de D.C. pueden registrar de 10 a 20 grados más altas que en los vecindarios frondosos
Cómo los extremos de calor del verano en D.C. afectan la salud humana. Este verano, se registraron temperaturas récord en todo el país. Pero a nivel micro, un efecto diferente toma fuerza en las principales ciudades: las islas de calor urbano. Las temperaturas pueden subir hasta 10 o 20 grados más que en las partes más frondosas del Distrito. Los vecindarios como Columbia Heights tienden a tener más asfalto y menos cubierta de árboles, lo que allana el camino para que se formen islas de calor.
El calor del verano puede provocar reacciones adversas para la salud de los residentes de DC
El calor del verano puede provocar reacciones adversas para la salud de los residentes de D.C. Las olas de calor del verano no tratan a todos los residentes por igual; entérese de las razones, los orígenes y los resultados.
Enfriar DC requiere pensar en quién es más vulnerable al calor
Enfriar D.C. requiere pensar en quién es más vulnerable al calor. Los esfuerzos para enfriar las temperaturas exteriores deben ir de la mano con la expansión del acceso al aire acondicionado. Que dicen los residentes del distrito al respecto.
The Maps | Las Mapas
Heat Islands in Washington DC | Islas de Color en DC
DC’s Tree Canopy: Neighborhoods with the most and least trees | Los barrios con más y menos árboles
Locations of heat islands and tree canopy | Ubicaciones de islas de calor y los árboles
Neighborhoods with the largest number of residents with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart and respiratory ailments that can be exacerbated by exposure to extreme heat | Barrios con la mayor cantidad de residentes con afecciones médicas como diabetes, afecciones cardíacas y respiratorias que pueden agravarse por la exposición al calor extremo
This series was produced by Hola Cultura’s Environmental Justice Storytelling Team as part of the Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning, which brings together young people between 16 and 25 and the organization’s professional staff to produce stories and special projects for Hola Cultura’s online magazine.
The team includes editorial fellow and lead writer Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe, editorial interns David H. Moreno, Alex Martin, and Marco Gutiérrez, social media intern Madison E. Goldberg, GIS intern Leul Bulcha, graphic design intern Isabella Padilla, web design interns Amanda Chirinos and David Lopez Mendez, GIS mapping mentor Byron Marroquin, and project director and series editor Christine MacDonald. Project advisors include the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, Dr. Isabella Alcañiz, associate professor of government and politics and director of the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Center at the University of Maryland, and Brenda Perez Amador, community activist and public servant. Special thanks to Esri for assistance with publishing the interactive maps included in this story.
This is Hola Cultura’s first investigative series. We co-published it with the Washington City Paper on Aug. 19, 23 and 25, 2021.