Active design
Asthma
Climate
Housing
Outdoor Air

Climate and Health

As the climate changes, we track New York City’s risk for extreme heat, storms and flooding, and episodes of elevated ozone. These have important public health impacts: already, heat kills more people than all other natural disasters.

Choose a neighborhood from the map to get a report.

Homes near structures rated good or excellent

Building quality predicts the number of housing maintenance problems in a residence that place residents at increased risk of acute or chronic health problems.

Neighborhood poverty

The percent of households with incomes below the federal poverty level. Households without sufficient resources are often deprived of access to health care, good quality housing, and other resources that protect health.

Daytime summer surface temperature

Spatial average of surface temperature, measured by satellite. Surface temperatures vary because of vegetative cover (which promotes cooling), and paved roads, sidewalks, and buildings (which retain heat). Hotter neighborhoods tend to have more heat-exacerbated deaths associated with extreme heat events.

Vegetative cover

Land covered by trees, grass, or other plants. Vegetative cover reduces temperatures in the immediate area, and may increase air quality.

Serious psychological distress

Mental health conditions like series psychological distress can be worsened by extreme weather such as heat waves and coastal storms.

Independent living difficulty (adults)

Adults reporting independent living difficulty due to a physical, mental, or emotional problem. People with disabilities may need additional support during extreme weather. For example, extra planning for safe travel out of evacuation zones during a hurricane, or back-up electricity to support medical equipment during power outages.

Older adults living alone (65+)

People age 65+ living alone. People living alone may have more difficulty getting resources they need in an emergency, and are at higher risk of weather-related illnesses like heat stroke and hypothermia.

Older adults with air conditioners (age 65+)

Older adults (over 65) are more vulnerable to hot weather and heat stress. Air conditioning reduces the risk of heat stroke and other heat-related illness.

Asthma emergency department visits (age 5 to 17)

Emergency department visits for asthma. Things like smoke, air pollution, dust mites, cockroaches, mold, pollen and pet dander can trigger asthma.