Skip to Content
Report an accessibility problem

Executive Team members present 6 rules for rebuilding after ‘unprecedented’ weather events

View Source | September 7, 2017

The Conversation Image 2The UREx SRN’s Thaddeus Miller, a social scientist, and Mikhail Chester, an engineer, lay out six rules for investing in infrastructure during a time of ‘unprecedented’ weather events.

Considering U.S. infrastructure was recently given a D+ by the American Society for Civil Engineering Infrastructure Report Card and early estimates of the damage from Hurricane Harvey are hovering around $190 million, we need to start looking at how we got to this point and how to proceed moving forward.

Making cities more resilient after Harvey and Irma

View Source | September 7, 2017

ASUNow Building Resilient Cities Image 4The UREx SRN’s Charles Redman talks with ASU Now about how to better prepare for events like Harvey and Irma and how the UREx network is developing tools to make cities more resilient.

One step towards making cities more resilient is to realize we cannot always predict what is to come. Therefore, we should move from fail-safe designs – which assume we know exactly what will happen – to safe-to-fail, which have multiple back-up plans.

Hermosillo's Mayor highlights city’s work with UREx

View Source | August 16, 2017

Hermosillo Mayor Image 4One of the UREx SRN’s network cities – Hermosillo, Mexico – was highlighted by Hermosillo Mayor Manuel Ignacio Maloro Acosta during the first 2017 meeting of the National System of Climate Change.  Maloro Acosta emphasized Hermosillo’s work with the UREx network and said that the city will be one of the most prepared in handling a changing climate.

Charles Redman discusses this week’s heat dome on NPR

View Source | June 22, 2017

WBUR heatwave Image 2Featured on On Point, the UREx SRN’s Charles Redman speaks with host Tom Ashbrook about making Phoenix heat-ready for the years to come, considering equity when designing cities, and doing what is necessary to adapt and survive.

The heat dome that settled over the southwestern U.S. this week illustrates the importance of UREx’s work on heat.  The southwest may not be a stranger to heat, but scientists agree that heatwaves are occurring more frequently and lasting longer. This week alone, 40+ flights have been grounded in Phoenix with the temperature reaching 119 degrees.

Building Climate-Resilient Infrastructure In Phoenix, Across The Country

View Source | September 1, 2016

Building Climate Resilient Infrastructure Image 2Charles Redman, co-director of the UREx SRN, speaks to Mark Brodie, of KJZZ 91.5, about building resilient infrastructure for our changing climate.

Redman talks about how the answers for one city may differ from that of another.  In some cities, green roofs have been a wonderful solution, but they tend to work only in snow country since the buildings are constructed to handle heavier loads.  This clearly does not apply in Phoenix, and it illustrates why we need to approach each city from a different angle.

ASU researchers working to cool Phoenix down

View Source | August 15, 2016

ASU researchers working to cool down phx Image 2Charles Redman, of the UREx SRN, speaks to KTAR news about the network and its plan to make cities, like Phoenix, more resilient towards heat.

Phoenix is known for its sweltering summer days and increasing daytime temperatures; however, its nighttime lows are increasing at an even more rapid pace. Redman explains that at some point we will cross a threshold of what people, plants, and animals can cope with, and it will come down to how we utilize our resources to find a solution.

Beating heat in future takes more than AC

View Source | August 15, 2016

Beating Heat in Future ImageUREx’s Charles Redman, Nancy Grimm, and Paul Coseo contribute to an ASU Now article about solutions to prepare cities, like Phoenix, for an even warmer future and how UREx, a solution-oriented project, plans to make a difference.

Most people in the valley would agree that everyone relies primarily on air conditioning as their line of defense against heat; however, as temperatures increase we need to consider and come up with other methods of mitigating the effects of heat, such as green roofs or heat-resistant asphalt.

Optimism in Cuba

View Source | August 2, 2016

Optimism in Cuba 2Team of researchers marks ASU's first visit to the island nation with scientific cooperation, relationship building and mutual respect.

The municipality of Hermosillo

View Source | June 7, 2016

Presentation of UREx in Hermosillo Image 2The municipality of Hermosillo was elected to nine cities in the world that make up the Network for Urban Resilience and Sustainability Climate Change, according to its the mayor.