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Sara Meerow

@sarameerow.bsky.social
14K followers 976 following 53 posts

Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder My work focuses on urban resilience. I research and inform how communities plan for and govern climate hazards like extreme heat, green infrastructure, and climate change adaptation.

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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Institute of Behavioral Science at CU Boulder @cuboulderibs.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
How can cities better prepare for #extremeheat? IBS Fellow Sara Meerow spoke with #Forbes about how communities can strengthen #heatactionplans through better coordination, evaluation, and long-term planning. @colorado.edu #CIRES #Geography #climatechange #heatplan www.forbes.com/sites/christ...
forbes.com
How To Improve Heat Action Plans
Most cities and regions don’t have formal plans for extreme heat, though they have the power to save lives. Still, these plans are far from perfect.
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New article in @forbes.com discussing our recent research on implementation and effectiveness of Heat Action Plans: www.forbes.com/sites/christ...
forbes.com
How To Improve Heat Action Plans
Most cities and regions don’t have formal plans for extreme heat, though they have the power to save lives. Still, these plans are far from perfect.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
The Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES) @socses.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
📣 Upcoming online short course on the resilience of urban social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) 🏙️🌱 🗓️ 19-23 October 2026 📚 Online (2-3 synchronous sessions per day) ⚠️ Apply by 8 September 2026 ℹ️ Learn more and apply: socses.org/short-courses/
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Excited to be here!
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 18/08/2026
“People who are suffering from heat are often suffering alone. It doesn’t lend itself to the same sort of visible imagery, and also doesn’t always have really visible infrastructure damage.” CIRES Fellow @sarameerow.bsky.social spoke with @coloradonewsline.com coloradonewsline.com/2026/08/17/h...
coloradonewsline.com
Heat-related illnesses spike in Colorado as climate change fuels record temperatures | Colorado Newsline
A record number of Coloradans who sought medical treatment for heat-related illnesses this summer amid unprecedented extreme heat.
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
How can you assess if a community's #Heat Action #Plan is having impact? We developed the Heat Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation (HAPIE) Tool to do just that. Check it out: preparecenter.org/resource/eva... @saidasobhani.bsky.social @laddkeith.com
preparecenter.org
Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of Heat Action Plans
Extreme heat is a deadly and growing threat to cities worldwide. As recognition of heat risks increases, local governments have begun developing Heat Action Plans (HAPs) to outline goals, relevant inf...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Q&A with CU Boulder Today on heat resilience www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...
colorado.edu
Heat is the world's deadliest climate hazard. Are cities ready?
Extreme heat is no longer a rare event, and protecting communities will require coordinated efforts, says geography professor Sara Meerow.
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
After 9 amazing years at ASU, I'm moving to the University of Colorado Boulder @colorado.edu, where I'll be associate professor in @cugeography.bsky.social, @cuboulderibs.bsky.social, & @cires.colorado.edu starting in August. Excited for this new adventure! www.colorado.edu/geography/sa...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
As deadly heat dominates the news here's some practical guidance on one of the best ways cities can make it more bearable for residents: plan for shade. We highlight some lessons learned from developing Phoenix's first comprehensive shade plan: www.planning.org/planning/202...
planning.org
Phoenix’s First-of-its-Kind Plan Shows Shade is More Than Just Trees Now
Six ways planners can combine vegetative and built shade to improve comfort and safety on the ground.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 17/06/2026
☀️ ICYMI: Check out my new commentary with @sarameerow.bsky.social, where we argue that "we are living through a 'heatshed' moment, a critical turning point in which heat must be rapidly addressed to protect health and livelihoods worldwide." doi.org/10.1080/0735... #extremeheat #climatechange
Commentary: Our "heatshed" moment is now
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 09/06/2026
This study is the culmination of several years of plan evaluation work through the SW-IFL with @sarameerow.bsky.social, @malinir.bsky.social, @shaylynntrego.bsky.social, @saidasobhani.bsky.social, and many @uarizona.bsky.social and @arizonastateuni.bsky.social students.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 09/06/2026
The plans have high-quality participation and coordination, but lack detail on vulnerability and climate change uncertainty. We also found opportunities to better target heat mitigation policies to the highest heat risk areas, diversify heat-related policies, and improve plan integration efforts.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 09/06/2026
📢 Our new open-access paper is out in Urban Climate on using three plan evaluation approaches to better understand how Arizona cities are advancing heat resilience. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #extremeheat #heatresilience #urbanplanning
Plan networks in Arizona cities
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 22/05/2026
Although our Center for Heat Resilient Communities was unfortunately terminated early, our team continued working hard to complete this resource and ensure its availability to communities across the nation. Appreciate everyone's work on this! Kelly Turner, @sarameerow.bsky.social
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 22/05/2026
Excited to share this actionable resource for communities to advance their heat resilience: Building Heat Resilient Communities: A Toolkit for Local Heat Planning, Decision-Making, & Action: innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/publication/... #heatresilience #extremeheat #heatactionplan
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu
Heat Resilience Planning Framework and Workbook Guide | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Heat Resilience framework and workbook for communities seeking local planning tools, technical guidance, and actionable strategies.
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
This should be our "heatshed" moment. Commentary with @laddkeith.com out in the Journal of Urban Affairs arguing that heat resilience, actions to mitigate, manage, and govern growing heat risks, should be an urgent priority. Part of a special issue on Extreme Heat in Cities doi.org/10.1080/0735...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
New comment in Nature Cities on "Spatial Planning and the Governance of Urban Greening". I argue that green infrastructure spatial planning processes are underexamined in research & practice and propose an agenda for improving them #greeninfrastructure #naturebasedsolutions Full text: rdcu.be/faKfb
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Society, Earth system science, and my own work have all greatly benefited from NSF NCAR. I hope this will not come to pass and that I will be able to continue collaborating with amazing NSF NCAR scientists long into the future www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Trump Administration Aims to Dismantle Key Climate Research Hub
The US plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a key climate-science hub in Boulder, Colorado, which the Trump administration says strayed from its mission decades ago by taki...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
I'm honored to be named one of 260 Highly Cited Researchers in the Social Sciences category globally by Clarivate in 2025. This would not have been possible without an amazing, long list of co-authors, mentors, and students over the past decade: clarivate.com/highly-cited...
clarivate.com
Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025
The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list identifies and celebrates individuals who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Through rigorous selection criteria and ...
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 06/11/2025
Excited to join the @climateresilience.bsky.social's new Heat Resilience Exchange as a Senior Advisor, along with @vkturner.bsky.social and @sarameerow.bsky.social! onebillionresilient.org/2025/11/06/a... #heatresilience #extremeheat #heatactionplanning
onebillionresilient.org
The Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center appoints Jane Gilbert as Chief Heat Ambassador
The Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Center announced the appointment of Jane Gilbert as its first chief heat ambassador.
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Our School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU is hiring at the assistant or associate level in urban climate!
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
New open access publication with Paul Schulze based on his undergraduate thesis, which he completed in AZ as part of the NEURUS research exchange program! It looks at how local water planners in the Phoenix Metro are adapting to future water system uncertainties doi.org/10.1007/s110...
Picture of cover paper of journal article in Mitigation and Adaptaton Strategies for Global Change entitled Navigating cross-scalar challenges in adapting to climate change: insights from water planning in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
New essay with @anoukfransen.bsky.social on the workshop we organized last spring in Detroit.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 27/09/2025
We hosted the SW-IFL All Hands Meeting at the @uarizona.bsky.social with over 65 researchers, students, and stakeholders from across the state yesterday, and finally had a chance to get a group photo of our current Planning Discovery research team, led by @sarameerow.bsky.social and me!
Planning Discovery Team Group Photo
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Over the years I've researched how #urban #resilience is conceptualized by different academic disciplines, practitioners, & the public. I synthesized my thinking on the concept in a book chapter based on a talk at the 2022 Association for Literary Urban Studies Conference: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
doi.org
Urban Resilience: Disruptive Discourse or More of the Same for Cities?
Urban resilience discourse has become increasingly pervasive over the last decade, with numerous studies, policy initiatives, and plans focusing on resilient cities. Whether this urban resilience agen...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
New article on #heat governance & climate services. We interviewed and surveyed heat practitioners from across the US about their challenges and decision-support needs: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Cover of Too hot to handle: Assessing practitioner climate service needs to advance heat resilience article in Climate Services journal
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
It's hot almost everywhere & our team has 2 new studies of #heat #planning both led by former master's students: One on #Vienna, Austria and the other looking at 2 neighborhoods in #Boston: Vienna: authors.elsevier.com/a/1la4Z7sfVZ... Boston: doi.org/10.1080/0735...
picture of journal article cover for Planning for heat resilience in increasingly vulnerable cities: A case study of Vienna, Austriapicture of journal article cover: Planning to mitigate heat in vulnerable neighborhoods: Applyingthe Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ for Heat in twoBoston neighborhoods
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Some good news today: 2 of the geography PhD students in my lab successfully defended their dissertations! Congrats to new Drs. Philip Gilbertson and Alex Cliff for your persistence and important work on climate resilience!
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 27/06/2025
I was reflecting on the heatwave that impacted much of the U.S. this week, my Op-Ed from 2021 with @sarameerow.bsky.social is just as relevant today as it was then: "The reality is that all cities, regardless of size or location, need to plan for heat resilience now." news.trust.org/item/...
news.trust.org
Cities must plan for heat resilience now
Shocking heatwaves in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada show preparation for climate-driven extreme heat needs work - fast
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
An amazing way to kick off my month at NCAR in Boulder this summer!
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
New paper led by @saidasobhani.bsky.social proposing a planning framework for navigating synergies and trade-offs between heat and flood resilience & applying it to evaluate Baltimore, MD's network of plans. Part of our team's new work on multihazard resilience authors.elsevier.com/c/1lIRw7t2zZ...
planning framework for flood-heat hazard synergies and tradeoffs
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Urban Affairs Association (UAA) @uaanews.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
NEW JUA #ARTICLE: Heat mitigation and management in the City of Phoenix, Arizona: A case study of America’s hottest large city www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @bhanlonurban.bsky.social
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UM Population Studies Center @um-psc.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Cities are adapting to increasingly long, frequent, and intense heat waves and their unequally distributed effects. PSC alum @sarameerow.bsky.social et al report on Phoenix, AZ, a city that epitomizes these challenges and innovations needed to address them. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
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Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 13/06/2025
The second, led by @shaylynntrego.bsky.social‬, is a case study of heat governance in Phoenix, Arizona, and discusses the nation's first publicly funded office of heat mitigation and response and related efforts to address extreme heat. doi.org/10.1080/0735...
doi.org
Heat mitigation and management in the City of Phoenix, Arizona: A case study of America’s hottest large city
The increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of heat waves due to climate change have escalated the occurrence of extreme heat risks, raising significant concerns in many cities. The unequal d...
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 13/06/2025
The first, led by @saidasobhani.bsky.social‬, compares plan integration for extreme heat and flooding in Baltimore, Maryland, and explores policy co-benefits, trade-offs, and the possibility for maladaptation. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
A comparison of plan integration for flood and heat resilience: A case study of Baltimore, Maryland
Due to the deadly and costly impacts of flooding, extreme heat, and limited resources for resilience-building efforts, cities need win-win strategies …
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Ladd Keith @laddkeith.com · 13/06/2025
Two new heat resilience papers from our research team this week! @sarameerow.bsky.social #heatresilience #extremeheat
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
As summer heats up and communities prepare, people often want to know what Phoenix, America's hottest large city, is doing to mitigate & manage heat. PhD student @shaylynntrego.bsky.social led this case study now published in the Journal of Urban Affairs: doi.org/10.1080/0735... @laddkeith.com
Cover of paper: Heat mitigation and management in the City of Phoenix, Arizona
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
UofA Heat Resilience Initiative @heatresilience.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
AZ's official Heat Awareness week has five themes and today is Take Action. @laddkeith.com and @sarameerow.bsky.social wrote Planning for Urban Heat Resilience, a report providing holistic guidance to help increase urban heat resilience equitably in communities across the U.S. tinyurl.com/plan-heat
tinyurl.com
Planning for Urban Heat Resilience
Planners seeking to increase their communities’ urban heat resilience can equitably prepare for and adapt to both chronic and acute heat risk through heat mitigation and management strategies.
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Reposted by Sara Meerow
Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
What does FEMA’s retreat from hazard mitigation programs mean for states and communities? @wcurrangroome.bsky.social, @sara-mctarnaghan.bsky.social and I break down the impacts of the administration’s decisions, by state and congressional district: www.urban.org/urban-wire/f...
urban.org
FEMA Is Eliminating Hazard Mitigation Programs, Leaving Americans Nationwide at Risk as Disasters Worsen
Cancelling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program and funding for future Flood Mitigation Assistance grants would end most federal funding for predisaster hazard mitigation, eve...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
New #OpenAccess publication from our team led by @saidasobhani.bsky.social: Systematic lit review of methods for spatial planning of green infrastructure for #stormwater & #heat mitigation reveals siloed literatures & few multifunctional approaches #GreenInfrastructure #NBS doi.org/10.1016/j.uf...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Kicking off 4 days of #urban #greening curated track sessions at #AAG2025 in Huntington Place rm 320. Join us #UrbanForestry, #GreenInfrastructure, #NatureBasedSolution folks!
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Our special issue on #Green #Infrastructure Futures is now complete in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening: www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu... Including our editorial: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @ianmell.bsky.social @mitchzuckerman.bsky.social @oh-the-urbanity.bsky.social & Sarah Clement
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Requirements for US climate change planning are now almost certainly going to have to come from state governments. Our research on California suggests that even a flexible, unfunded, & untracked mandate improves planning doi.org/10.1080/0194... 50 free downloads: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/IHS3P...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Check out our new paper on #flood #risk and #resilience in Houston
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Amidst the chaos, the fantastic CAP LTER program at ASU is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Urban Social-Ecological Systems: apply.interfolio.com/163268
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Julian Agyeman @julianagyeman.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Check out our Cities@Tufts Podcasts and Videos! Hear @lorettaclees.bsky.social @jenniecstephens.bsky.social @norton.bsky.social @drnoelhealy.bsky.social @tamikabutler.bsky.social @sarameerow.bsky.social @ianguelovski.bsky.social @kateraworth.bsky.social and more! www.shareable.net/cities-tufts/
shareable.net
Cities@Tufts Colloquium
Shareable and Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning co-present this ongoing free lecture series hosted by professor Shareable and Tufts University co-present Citie...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Do you work on #green #infrastructure or #urban #forestry #planning for a local government in the United States? If so I would greatly appreciate if you could complete this 10-minute survey for a research project I'm leading: asu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
A little over a week left to apply to be part of the first cohort of the Center for Heat Resilient Communities!
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
As the end of my sabbatical fellowship in Munich rapidly approaches, I was able to squeeze in a quick first visit to the beautiful Sciences Po and participate in their inspiring Nature in the City conference! Lots of good discussions about #cities and #naturebasedsolutions
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Sara Meerow @sarameerow.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Please share this opportunity with local governments and partnered organizations across the US: The application to join the 1st cohort of our Center for Heat Resilient Communities is open!
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