Sense SB Extreme Heat

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Sense SB: Extreme Heat is an environmental sensing project. With support from researchers at Notre Dame University, including Professor Jason Carley and Ph.D. student Siavash Ghorbany, the City of South Bend is collecting real-time, geo-located extreme heat data using our trash truck fleet. This summer, trucks equipped with sensors will measure temperature and humidity across South Bend neighborhoods. Sense SB aims to illuminate relationships between temperature intensity, air quality, urban form, tree canopy, and public health vulnerability.

Project Background

“Urban heat island effect” impacts some of South Bend's neighborhoods more than others. Cities are made of materials that absorb and retain heat, like concrete and asphalt. Combined with limited vegetation, this means our South Bend neighborhoods are often hotter than rural or suburban areas. Long-term, this can result in higher energy burdens, infrastructure stress, and increased health risks, particularly among the aging population and people who are unhoused. Gathering baseline, localized data on extreme heat is informative to understanding community and environmental health. As we plant and grow trees in our community, we expect to see cooler neighborhoods in our future.

Why Measure Extreme Heat?

Research has found there are benefits to addressing hot spots and greening our urban spaces, for example, "We find that having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger. We also find that having 11 more trees in a city block, on average, decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $20,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $20,000 higher median income or being 1.4 years younger," (Kardan et al. 2015).


Sense SB: Extreme Heat is an environmental sensing project. With support from researchers at Notre Dame University, including Professor Jason Carley and Ph.D. student Siavash Ghorbany, the City of South Bend is collecting real-time, geo-located extreme heat data using our trash truck fleet. This summer, trucks equipped with sensors will measure temperature and humidity across South Bend neighborhoods. Sense SB aims to illuminate relationships between temperature intensity, air quality, urban form, tree canopy, and public health vulnerability.

Project Background

“Urban heat island effect” impacts some of South Bend's neighborhoods more than others. Cities are made of materials that absorb and retain heat, like concrete and asphalt. Combined with limited vegetation, this means our South Bend neighborhoods are often hotter than rural or suburban areas. Long-term, this can result in higher energy burdens, infrastructure stress, and increased health risks, particularly among the aging population and people who are unhoused. Gathering baseline, localized data on extreme heat is informative to understanding community and environmental health. As we plant and grow trees in our community, we expect to see cooler neighborhoods in our future.

Why Measure Extreme Heat?

Research has found there are benefits to addressing hot spots and greening our urban spaces, for example, "We find that having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger. We also find that having 11 more trees in a city block, on average, decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $20,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $20,000 higher median income or being 1.4 years younger," (Kardan et al. 2015).

Page last updated: 07 Aug 2025, 02:28 PM