Investigating New York City’s Cool Roof Program Implementation Using Remote Sensing Through an Environmental Justice Lens

Cities such as New York City expose their residents to artificially elevated temperatures, known as the urban heat island effect (UHI). The UHI is a designed phenomenon where daytime and night-time temperatures are higher in cities than in outlying areas. As a result, UHI causes a range of socio-economic, public health, and ecological issues. Additionally, the UHI is unequally distributed among lower-income communities of colour, with fewer means to respond to the UHI and extreme heat events. Research has shown that increasing urban trees and cool roofs are two of the most effective strategies for mitigating UHI. This paper explores the effects and equitable implementation of New York City’s cool roof program. Results show that cool roofs are an integral UHI mitigation strategy.