A field guide to microclimates of Harlem

Urban Resiliency Lighthouse

Extreme heat is a growing public health crisis that disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities in cities like New York. Heat is experienced differently from neighborhood to neighborhood, and even from block to block.    

This guide takes you through the spatial and material factors that shape how heat is felt at street level in Harlem — from tree canopy and pavement albedo to building mass and airflow. The interactive StoryMap layers field observations, sensor data, and spatial analysis to reveal patterns that are otherwise invisible.