UT-City CoLab Participates in Keep Austin Cool Day

The UT-City CoLab recently participated in Keep Austin Cool Day, hosted by Austin Public Health, joining community organizations, city partners, and residents in raising awareness about the growing impacts of extreme heat on Central Texas.

Throughout the event, attendees learned about heat safety, available community resources, and practical ways to stay safe during Austin’s hottest months. The event also provided an opportunity for organizations working across public health, emergency management, research, and community engagement to connect around a shared goal: building a more heat-resilient Austin.

As part of the event, the CoLab showcased several of the interactive tools we’ve developed to help people better understand and navigate urban heat. Visitors explored CoolPath, a route planning tool that identifies more thermally comfortable walking and biking routes by prioritizing shade and reducing heat exposure. We also demonstrated ThermalScape (Austin Heat Map), an interactive visualization that uses the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)—a human-centered measure of how hot it actually feels outdoors – to reveal neighborhood-scale heat patterns across Austin. Together, these tools translate cutting-edge climate research into practical resources that support residents, city staff, and planners in making more informed, heat-aware decisions.

Events like Keep Austin Cool Day reinforce the importance of making climate science accessible and actionable. Addressing extreme heat requires collaboration across research, public health, city operations, and community organizations, and we’re grateful to work alongside so many dedicated partners committed to creating a safer, healthier, and more resilient Austin.