Claire Suh

Claire grew up in New Providence, New Jersey in the U.S. and moved to Montreal, where is currently completing an honors degree in Linguistics with a minor concentration in Psychology at McGill University. Her academic career has informed her passion for cognitive science research (e.g. linguistics, psychology, computer science, philosophy, and neuroscience). Furthermore, she is interested in how to best design city infrastructure in order to maximize social inclusion and equity as a result of spending a semester abroad in Europe and a summer in Singapore.

Partner: Data-Driven Lab

Policy Brief: Urban Heat in Montreal (co-authored with Lavanya Virmani) + Infographic – Urban Heat in Montreal

Final Report: The Urban Heat Island Effect in Montréal

As more people move to urban areas, cities are becoming larger, more complex and much hotter. There are areas in cities called urban heat islands that are significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas. This urban heat island effect is inextricably tied with climate change as a whole, with health and social equity. Montréal has several policies in place to mitigate the urban heat island effect. However these policies do not adequately reflect the interconnection with social equity and health, rendering them much less effective. This analytical report explores the manifold causes of the urban heat island effect, why some populations are more vulnerable to it, and how to make climate policy more effective by shifting to an interdisciplinary perspective.

Keywords: urban heat island effect, climate change, urban planning, social equity, interdisciplinary, sustainable development, community resilience, environment, health, collaboration, Montréal

Interactive Page
In addition to the final report, Claire produced an interactive page on Data-Driven Lab’s website exploring the urban heat island effect in Montreal using audio clips and visuals. For an introduction to the page, read her blog.

Community Engagement Initiative: Urban Heat Island Workshop