San Antonio tackles heat disparity: More trees and shaded areas to come

SAN ANTONIO - Spoiler alert - it's hot - especially in certain parts of the city.

It's something city leaders have been working on for years -- figuring out ways to help cool areas of town that have proven to be hotter than others.

District three residents like Aida Iruegas are feeling the heat, saying they need the city to listen to their needs.

"They need to come over here," Iruegas said. "They need to come to our district and look at what we need because we do need more shade."

That is why the city is holding events like Monday's town hall -- so they can hear directly from residents but also tell people what resources are available as part of the Cool Neighborhood Program.

"Where do they want to see trees planted," Leslie Antuned, senior sustainability at the San Antonio office of Sustainability, said. "Where do they have a need for cooled roofs? Where do they have a need for water damage? Where do they spend their time after work or during the day? We want to know where those key areas are so that we plan for those areas."

In a partnership with UTSA, the city has identified areas of town that are hotter than others. Mainly, in districts two, three, and five.

"We're urban," district three councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said. "There's urban density in and around two, three and five. The neighborhood are so old. That's just what had happened."

But, as you can see from the heat map, there are areas of concern all over the city.

"Heat is affecting all of us, but the data collected through our partnership with UTSA told us that of all the data collected, these areas are some of the hottest in our city," Antuned said.

"We know it's only getting hotter," Viagran said. "And I think what people don't understand is even a mere 10-15, minutes in this weather can impact your health."

There are three main ways that the city is trying to make areas of the city cooler. First, continuing to implement cooling pavement, which on average cools down the pavement by 18.

The second is planting more trees to create more shade and help people stay cool. The last one is creating better shading structures for playgrounds, so kids can play on them year-round.

"We have to see what works, what is going to give us the best return and results, and then we can go full scale," Antuned said.

For more information on the cooling pavement, click here.