On November 16, Janelle Knox-Hayes will present, "The Compound Risk of Heat and COVID-19 in New York City: Riskscapes, Physical and Social Factors, and Interventions," as part of the Climate and Health Seminar Series. Climate change is disrupting the fundamental conditions of human life and exacerbating existing inequity by placing further burdens on communities that are already vulnerable. Exposure to risk and its consequences varies by where people live and work. We will examine the overlapping spatial nature and multiplicity of compound risks associated with COVID-19 and extreme heat in New York City. The relationship between a range of natural environmental, built and social environmental, and socio-demographic characteristics, as well as the spatial correspondence of COVID-19 daily case rates across three waves of the pandemic are examined. These data are used to create a compound risk index that combines heat, COVID, density and social vulnerability. The findings demonstrate that the compound risks of COVID-19 and heat stress are both public health and equity challenges. Heat and COVID-19 exposure are both influenced by natural and built environmental factors, as well as social ramifications including the ways in which physical infrastructure is used, and the availability and accessibility of mitigation infrastructure. Socio-demographic characteristics are significant indicators of both heat and COVID-19 exposure, and of where compound vulnerability exists. Using GIS mapping we illustrate how the geographies of COVID-19 risk change across the three waves of the pandemic, and the particular impact of vaccinations before the onset of the third wave. Iur compound risk index is used to assess heat interventions undertaken by the City and provide recommendations where existing policies provide adequate coverage as well as areas of short-fall where additional interventions are needed.
Speaker Bio
Janelle Knox-Hayes is a Professor of Economic Geography and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT and the director of the Resilient Communities Lab. Her research focuses on the governance of climate mitigation and adaptation and systems to build socio-economic, cultural and environmental resilience for communities. Her latest projects examine how community engagement and the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge can strengthen climate assessments and planning, the effects of compound climate risks on vulnerable and frontline populations within urban canters, and on developing frameworks and toolkits for community based co-design of renewable energy systems. She is particularly interested in understanding how values shape planning and decision making across a variety of scales. Her publications include multiple peer reviewed articles and books including Saving for Retirement, The Culture of Markets: The Political Economy of Climate Governance, and the Routledge Handbook of Financial Geography.
This event is available via Zoom. The public is welcome to attend this virtual event.
