Understanding the Pedestrian & Bicycling Experience in a Warming World
New thermal comfort tool provides data to understand what walking and biking will feel like in different climate scenarios
Contact: David Wasserman, AICP, Civic Analytics Leader, Alta
Nearly every community across North America experienced increased temperatures and extreme weather this summer. Supporting people walking, biking, and rolling, all of which involve being outside in the elements, is an important strategy for drawing down greenhouse gas emissions and meeting climate change goals. We can no longer assume the next generation will experience the same weather patterns as we do today. So, how can we support people in getting around without a car, in a warming world?
Designing trails and active transportation facilities for people to use in a warmer world is critical. Climate models forecast how the extreme heat effects of climate change will affect communities. Getting this scientific information into the hands of planners, designers, and decision-makers — in a way that is easy to use and understand — will help communities prepare for effective and equitable responses to climate-related changes that are coming.
Alta is at the forefront of integrating climate risks and emissions reduction into transportation planning and decision-making. We have a history of helping communities fight extreme heat and the urban heat island effect, and our team pioneered this climate-focused Level of Comfort tool in 2021. Building on these successful initiatives, Alta’s Civic Analytics team has created a new way to look at climate projections in the context of walking and biking.
The new app, Thermal Comfort for Pedestrians and Bicyclists, visualizes the projected thermal comfort for people walking and biking in different climate scenarios. App users can select a climate scenario and choose a location on the map, which will then display histograms representing the number of days within each thermal comfort zone for the chosen location. Essentially, with one click a user can see an important context for any project — how it will feel to walk and bike in a specific place, in 2050.
The app combines the knowledge of peak pedestrian and bike use at given temperature ranges with climate data projections ranging from now until 2099. With a spatial resolution of 4 kilometers, app users can download and view the projected thermal impacts of climate change on walking and biking across the country or between cities. It can be used to compare regions, cities, and scenarios.
Planning for transportation in the future requires us to look at the climate of 2050 and try to understand how it will feel to move through spaces that will be measurably warmer than they are today. This tool aims to help tell that story, so that planners, advocates, and policymakers can be on the same page when it comes to interventions to ensure thermal comfort.
Alta has made this tool available to all of our clients, with the option to incorporate it into existing and future projects. This application was inspired by the work of Lanza et. al (2022), which investigated the relationship between ambient temperature and urban trail use in Austin, Texas, with a focus on the potential impact of climate change. The researchers found that trail use by people walking and biking is influenced by temperature, with peak use occurring at specific temperature ranges (17°C/63°F for pedestrians and 27°C/81°F for cyclists). We intend to update the tool as time progresses and as new literature identifies thermal comfort ranges for walking and biking.
This tool demonstrates Alta’s commitment to help our clients plan for a warming world and take steps now to meet emissions reduction targets. By building tools like this, we can support communities in prioritizing investments for rapid decarbonization and identifying future needs that enable people to adapt and thrive in a changing climate. Through policy, planning, and design solutions we can work together to meet the challenges of the next century, and thrive despite them.
Learn more about Alta’s Civic Analytics and Sustainability + Climate initiatives. Curious to learn more? Reach us here to start a conversation.
