Adam L Tate
@altate
Writer & Urban Planner working to make cities happier & healthier. Focused on solutions to the urban heat island effect.
Working on a piece on rapidly deployable solutions to address summer time heat. It’s really all about simple things like these awnings, or these climbers. There are so many things we can do quickly and affordable.
90 degrees, over 200 AQI, is not normal for the PNW. But I got a mask for my dog and he is super cute in it. There is so much more we can do to address extreme heat and air quality.
This. It is critical that we understand this and detach ourselves from the most dangerous words, “this is the way we’ve always done it.”
It’s late May, time to fire up the thermal camera to show that it doesn’t have to be hot to be hot. These were all taken with an air temp of 79 degrees on a warm day in the Pacific Northwest. This is the power of shade. #urbanheatislandeffect #uhi #shade This is the importance of #urbancooling
Happy Earth Day, friends. I won’t sugarcoat it, things have been pretty grim when it comes to the news lately, but even now, it is not too late. There is beautiful, meaningful work happening across all the sectors of work dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring our beautiful Earth.
Some fantastic examples of Urban Cooling on a sunny weekend in Portland. Green walls, shade trees, courtyards, well screened buildings and more.
And we have made is beautiful, inclusive and kind. We do not need ICE, we do not need the National Guard, the only thing we need is to continue making Portland the weird and wonderful place it is.
“As far as we know, the only complex life forms anywhere in the universe, and certainly the only ones that you and I will ever interact with, occur in a thin film surrounding the earth - the biosphere. - Douglas W. Tallamay, Nature’s Best Hope
Next up for urbancooling.substack.com How do we measure the urban heat island effect? These pics were taken when the air temperature was 85 degrees F. These are surface temperatures. This is why we need more shade, vegetation & cooler building materials. I’ll get into all this and more on Substack.
This electric vehicle is a freedom fighter, not a fascism funder. It’s also the most fun vehicle I’ve ever had. E-bikes FTW!
Much ire is being directed at Tesla, but remember that the most dangerous vehicles on the road, the most polluting personal vehicles, and one that screams Trump supporter is the ever present, ever obnoxious bro-dozer. They have no place in our cities.
This Ansel Adam’s quote is more relevant than it has ever been before. America, will not be great until we truly respect and take care of the environment. Trump has been the anti-environment candidate since 2015. It is beyond shameful that he still has the support of anyone at this point.
This. We have a profound opportunity and obligation to remake this world into one that reconciles the relationship between humanity and the natural world. We have all the tools we need to address the climate crisis, we only lack the political and economic will power to make it happen.