‘Your City Could Be Better’: A ‘Rage Room’ That’s Saving a City — Presented By City Cast Pittsburgh

It’s fall in Pittsburgh, but just this week, cities across the country experienced record-high heat. In Somerville, MA, the city government is realizing that rising temperatures deserve their attention and intervention year round — and they’re running a fun, generous program to help. David is joined by Elyse Belarge from the Somerville Mayor's Office of Sustainability and Environment to talk about the city’s pilot to de-pave and re-vegetate residential lots. Elyse shares the jaw-dropping impact of asphalt-free zones, as well as the joy of taking sledgehammers to driveways in your neighborhood.

Mentioned on the show:

• Cooling East Somerville program and application for residents: https://voice.somervillema.gov/cooling-east-somerville  
• The Barr Foundation, which funds Somerville’s work as part of a cohort: https://www.barrfoundation.org/climate/initiative/community-heat-resilience/ 

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

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