In an effort to combat extreme heat, particularly in vulnerable communities of color, New York City is funding a study to plant more trees as climate change creates new challenges for both residents and public officials.
At present, the city’s tree canopy consists of more than 7 million trees across streets, parks, and private land, as reported in a 2026 NYC Comptroller’s report. Recent growth in canopy coverage has been driven largely by the maturing of existing trees and the passage of Local Law 148 in 2023, which established a long-term vision for expanding to 30% tree canopy by 2030.
“Extreme temperatures endanger New Yorkers’ health and disproportionately affect vulnerable communities,” said City Council Speaker Julie Menin. “As temperatures continue to rise, it’s vital that we find creative solutions to tackle the climate crisis and protect New Yorkers from heat-related illnesses.”
The overall parks department budget for fiscal year 2027 is $709 million. The council’s Generative Canopy project invests $250,000 in funding to use a combination of AI, aerial imagery, existing tree census data, and climate forecasting to create unique block-by-block planting strategies. This will be accomplished through Cornell Tech, New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), and the Technion–based in Haifa, Israel. The plan is to start in Hunts Point and Longwood neighborhoods in the Bronx; East New York in Brooklyn; and Corona and Elmhurst in Queens.
The city’s trees are not spread equitably in many Black and Brown communities across the Five Boroughs, leading to what’s known as the “heat island effect,” or a lack of trees and greenery that can literally cause poor air quality, stress and heat-related illnesses, and in some cases, death. This can also heavily impact elderly or low-income residents.
Temperatures in the city rose higher than 100 degrees last month, increasing heat-related 911 calls and emergency room visits, resulting in at least three deaths, according to the city council.
“When we look at the data in terms of emergencies related to heat, what we find is that heat-related emergencies are the number one environmental emergency that New Yorkers face today,” said New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin at the Mayor’s office extreme weather roundtable with ethnic media on August 7.
Credit: Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
Martin said that over 500 New Yorkers every single year lose their lives to heat-related illness, the vast majority of which are because of underlying medical conditions that are often exacerbated by the heat. He added that it’s crucial to recognize the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion, such as nausea, loss of consciousness, and fatigue.
“We see it in the emergency room all the time, people coming in with shortness of breath, chest pain, their lung disease, their heart disease worsened by the heat. It’s important for folks to also know that heat itself can be a direct killer,” said Martin.
“We are talking about a heat index of around 100 degrees. We know that the consequences for those who are outside can be serious,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the roundtable.
Additionally, these neighborhoods are under constant threat of brownouts on the hottest days because of the city’s stressed and aging electrical grid supporting air conditioning surges.
According to the Comptroller’s report, data from 2014 to 2022 shows that power outages were concentrated in areas with lower-income households and high percentages of people of color like Northern Manhattan, Southern Bronx, Northern and Central Brooklyn, Southeastern Queens, and Northern Staten Island.
A robust tree canopy is one of the most effective ways to mitigate the effects of extreme heat by driving temperatures down in vulnerable areas, the Comptroller’s report said. It can serve the dual purpose of a holistic approach to climate resiliency since trees and green spaces can reduce stormwater runoff as well as improve mental health outcomes. Also, strategic shading can reduce a single home’s cooling costs by 20% to 30% while the risks of a brownout can drop up to 10% for an entire neighborhood with a dense tree canopy, the report said.
“In a city where neighborhoods that are majority people-of-color have up to 33% fewer trees on average than majority White neighborhoods, the Generative Canopy project will be essential as we work to combat historical underinvestment and plant trees where they are most needed,” said City Councilmember Ty Hankerson.
In a statement, City Councilmember Chris Banks said that he was especially pleased that East New York has been selected as an early site, “ensuring that one of our city’s most under-canopied neighborhoods receives the attention, resources, and investment needed to create healthier and more resilient streets.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul are looking for a more immediate way to beat extreme heat underground on the city’s stifling subway system, a long-held complaint from straphangers and commuters. They’re launching a study with new geothermal technology to lower temperatures on the platforms during the summer and then use that stored heat for buildings during the winter. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin with the Chambers Street stop on the J, Z line in Manhattan.
“Anyone who has stood on a subway platform in August knows that our stations do not just get hot, they turn into underground saunas,” said Mamdani at a separate press conference about heat on August 10. “During the summer, the Brooklyn Bridge City Hall station becomes one of the hottest stations in New York City.”
