Projects (List) | UTCity Climate Colab

CoLab Projects

Our projects focus on creating innovative, practical solutions to address climate challenges in urban areas. By combining research, community engagement, and policy development, we aim to build climate-resilient cities and improve the quality of life for communities in Austin and beyond. Explore our work and see how we’re making a difference.

Highlighted Current Projects

Tree & Forest Health

Remote sensing and AI (satellite, drone, and LiDAR data) to map Austin’s urban tree canopy and assess composition and health.

Scenario Planning

Researching planning methodologies that can be implemented to address uncertainties in infrastructure management and community health.

Data to Decisions | Wildfire Mitigation

Data to Decisions will visually align city departments’ climate and weather data needs with their operational timelines for tailored, efficient planning.

Building Decarbonization

Exploring how digital twins, city infrastructure, and construction & demolition (C&D) waste management be utilized in terms of their embodied carbon and energy impacts.

Growing Green

This research will explore how cities fund and maintain small-scale green infrastructure projects and how those models can be improved or scaled for the city of Austin.

Community Thermal Witnessing

Exploring how cooling corridors including tree coverage and other intentional cooling infrastructures interact with daily resident activity and experiences of extreme heat.

Scenario Planning

Researching planning methodologies that can be implemented to address uncertainties in infrastructure management and community health.

Building Decarbonization

Exploring how digital twins, city infrastructure, and construction & demolition (C&D) waste management be utilized in terms of their embodied carbon and energy impacts.

Tree & Forest Health

Remote sensing and AI (satellite, drone, and LiDAR data) to map Austin’s urban tree canopy and assess composition and health.

Understanding Heat in North Austin, TX

This project details efforts by Go! Austin/Vamos! Austin (GAVA), the City of Austin, and the University of Texas to address extreme heat in Austin's Eastern Crescent, focusing on vulnerable communities.

ATX CA3TCH UP: Climate Atlas for Accountability and Advocacy Strategies

The NASA EEJ Climate Atlas combines community input and Earth data to map risks, policies, and tools for equitable environmental action in Austin.

AusTWIN Austin Digital Twins

The AusTwin project aims to create a digital twin of Austin that captures and visualizes the interactions between weather variables and infrastructure to help observers better understand the data.

Extreme Weather & Hurricane Prediction

This project uses advanced models to predict extreme weather events like hurricanes, aiding preparedness while addressing challenges in accuracy and feedback systems.

Data to Decisions | Wildfire Mitigation

Data to Decisions will visually align city departments’ climate and weather data needs with their operational timelines for tailored, efficient planning.

Community Heat Mapping

The primary objective of this project is to establish a meaningful connection between climate science and community groups, with the intent of ensuring that the information generated is useful and usable.

Cool Pavement Pilot Study

Adaptational strategy aimed to mitigate the effects of extreme heat by evaluating cool pavement in SE Austin using field data, remote sensing, modeling, and social science methods.

Passive House Project

This project delves into both the potential energy saving capabilities and financial viability of employing passive house building standards in multi-family residential projects in Austin, Texas.

Seasonal Outlook

Forecast of expected seasonal weather patterns, including anticipated heatwaves, temperature trends, and potential impacts on the community.

Future Climate Projections

Latest insights on how rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns will shape Austin’s climate. Explore future scenarios, impacts, and strategies for building a resilient city.