New funding addresses urban (over)heating in a warming climate
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The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has announced Dr. Peter Crank as one of this year’s recipients of the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF). He will receive $78,000 for his project, Addressing urban (over)heating in a warming climate, which will generate critical data to better understand Canada’s rising heat-related health risks and identify effective cooling interventions to reduce them.
The research, conducted through the Crankyweather Lab led by Crank and supported by Dr. Leia Minaker and Dr. Michelle Rutty, will advance our understanding of the relationships between:
- Extreme urban heat and human health
- Urban air quality and human health
- Urban green space and urban cooling
By quantifying how urbanization and design influence local thermal conditions now and under future warming scenarios, the team aims to provide evidence-based guidance to planners and policymakers on how to maximize the cooling benefits of green spaces while minimizing heat-related health risks.
“By bringing university research to the community where the impacts of urban planning and design decisions are having real impacts today, we are able to take meaningful local action on global issues like climate change,” says Crank. “Another benefit of this funding is that it will allow the Crankyweather Lab and associates to train students in how to study urban climate impacts on health and society.”
In total, University of Waterloo researchers were awarded more than $4.3 million in funding from the CFI. This investment strengthens Waterloo’s capacity to lead research that tackles global challenges, fuels innovation and drives real-world impact.
