When Cities Get Hotter: From New York to Abu Dhabi

Talk

WHEN Wednesday, October 15, 2025
5-6 PM EST WHERE 19 Washington Square North WHO 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows Program Open to the Public

Cities like New York often feel hotter than their surroundings, especially on summer nights. This is the “urban heat island” effect, caused by the replacement of natural land covers with heat-absorbing materials, reduced vegetation and evapotranspiration, urban geometry that traps heat, and waste heat from human activities. Around the world, UHIs affect energy use, air quality, and public health. This talk explores when cities get hotter, how we measure these effects, and what makes them worse or better, and discusses Abu Dhabi, a rapidly growing desert city, to see how heat islands play out in extreme climates, and what lessons desert cities can teach us about the future of urban living.

Speakers
  • Rita Leal Sousa, Associate Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering, NYUAD
  • Yi Yin, Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences, NYU

In Collaboration with

NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

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