Extreme Heat Resilience in the Bay Area

1. Executive Summary

Over the past year, I have led a project in partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to address the escalating threat of extreme heat in the region. My work with BAAQMD started with a 400-hour summer internship, followed by ongoing part-time research, during which I conducted regional analysis, stakeholder interviews, and workshops focused on climate hazards and air quality, with a particular emphasis on extreme heat. The primary deliverables from this project—a comprehensive “Best Practices of Extreme Heat White Paper” and an “Extreme Heat Spotlight Box”—are set to be included in the Bay Area Regional Climate Action Plan. These resources are designed to inform and guide actionable, equity-focused measures that will protect public health and improve air quality as climate risks intensify.

2. Importance
This project is significant because extreme heat has become the leading cause of weather-related deaths in California. The Bay Area now experiences extreme heat events four to five times more frequently than in the 1960s, and inland counties are projected to face as many as 21 to 37 extreme heat days annually by 2100. The region’s unique geography, combined with aging infrastructure and socio-economic disparities, leaves many communities—particularly low-income and historically marginalized groups—especially vulnerable to the impacts of rising temperatures. I chose to focus on this issue to help bridge the gap in regional coordination on climate hazards and to ensure that adaptation planning fully considers the intersection of air quality, health, and equity. By supporting the Air District’s efforts to integrate extreme heat resilience into the Bay Area’s climate strategy, my work aims to ensure that climate mitigation and adaptation are pursued together for the greatest possible community benefit.

3. Impact and Reach
The outputs of my project include the authorship of the “Extreme Heat Spotlight Box” for the Bay Area Regional Climate Action Plan, which synthesizes data, policy recommendations, and best practices for regional adaptation. I also produced a white paper that details the infrastructure, health, and equity impacts of extreme heat, and outlines actionable strategies for both mitigation and adaptation. In addition, I leveraged skills from UCLA graduate coursework—specifically in Urban Planning—to create a GIS-based story map and policy recommendations that highlight spatial disparities in heat vulnerability and access to cooling resources. The two courses that specifically aided this research were Urban Planning 221 – GIS and Spatial Data Science and Urban Planning C285 – Built Environment and Health.

The outcomes of this work include informing the Air District’s climate action planning, providing targeted recommendations for cooling infrastructure and public health interventions, and supporting the integration of extreme heat into broader climate mitigation and adaptation frameworks. The project reached a wide audience, including Air District staff, regional agencies such as the Bay Area Regional Collaborative, academic partners, local governments, public health officials, and community organizations. The findings and recommendations will be disseminated across all nine Bay Area counties through the regional climate action plan.

4. Collaborations

Throughout the project, I worked closely with internal staff at the Air District, Bruce Riordan at UC Berkeley, and the Bay Area Regional Collaborative. I convened cross-sector workshops and conducted interviews to gather input and align strategies, ensuring that the project’s outputs reflected both current science and local needs. My research was also informed by engagement with county and state agencies, including BayREN, as well as local public health departments. These collaborations were essential for grounding the project in best practices and making sure that the recommendations are both actionable and relevant for the entire region.

5. Your Role Well Defined

In this project, I served as the lead, independently managing all phases of the research process. My responsibilities ranged from scoping and conducting literature reviews to engaging stakeholders, analyzing data, and drafting the final deliverables. While the initial internship fulfilled my Master of Public Health requirement, I chose to extend my involvement to focus more intensively on climate protection and policy integration. I demonstrated leadership by developing the white paper for regional policy use. This required designing and executing interviews and workshops, and applying advanced GIS and Python skills from my UCLA coursework to produce spatial analysis and a story map that directly informed policy recommendations. By synthesizing these findings into practical, equity-oriented strategies for the Air District and its regional partners, I ensured that extreme heat is now recognized as a central and actionable priority in the Bay Area’s climate resilience planning.