South San Heat Resilience

Led community-driven urban heat resilience planning in South San Antonio, supporting residents and frontline organizations in addressing extreme heat, health risks, and energy burden. The South San Heat Resilience Project centered neighborhood leadership, environmental justice, and nature-based solutions to co-develop a pilot cooling strategy that can be scaled across San Antonio.

The project integrated community engagement, climate and public health data, participatory research, and workforce development to produce a neighborhood-level heat mitigation action plan focused on social infrastructure, physical infrastructure, and long-term resilience. Key outcomes included documenting severe indoor heat exposure (homes reaching 107°F) and developing a replicable, community-led cooling model for other neighborhoods. This work advanced into Phase 2 implementation through the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), focused on tree canopy expansion, youth workforce training, community outreach, and neighborhood cooling infrastructure.

Phase 1 – Community-Led Planning & Pilot Design April–October 2024
Community engagement, neighborhood assessment, heat monitoring, and co-development of a South San neighborhood cooling action plan. Read the full report here.

Phase 2 – Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI): Implementation Late 2024–2026 (ongoing)
Secured grant funding for implementation of priority heat resilience strategies, including community leadership development, youth workforce training, tree canopy expansion, and neighborhood Cooling Committee.

What I did:

• Community Engagement & Project Coordination

  • Served as project coordinator, facilitating weekly partner check-ins to align timelines, deliverables, and project goals.

  • Co-developed engagement strategies with Fuerza Unida, centering trust, language access, and resident leadership.

  • Supported recruitment of residents, youth, and promotoras through door-to-door outreach and community events.

  • Supported transition from community-led planning to Phase 2 implementation under the Climate Smart Communities Initiative, aligning project timelines, partners, and grant deliverables.

• Urban Heat Assessment & Data Integration

  • Led neighborhood-level assessments integrating climate projections, public health data, and community input.

  • Supported a heat monitoring pilot documenting indoor temperatures and cooling conditions across 47 homes.

  • Helped translate data into accessible visuals and storytelling tools for residents and city partners.

• Workshops, Planning & Pilot Design

  • Facilitated community workshops to identify heat vulnerabilities, prioritize projects, and define implementation steps.

  • Supported selection of priority UHI mitigation projects and development of a neighborhood heat action plan.

  • Documented lessons learned and created templates to support replication in other neighborhoods.

• Youth, Promotoras & Workforce Development

  • Supported youth leadership programming focused on environmental justice, heat resilience, and community science.

  • Participated in promotora trainings and helped integrate promotoras into outreach, education, and data collection.

  • Helped design pathways connecting youth and residents to green workforce skills (tree care, outreach, climate adaptation).

• Communications & Storytelling

  • Developed bilingual outreach and social media materials to share heat safety information and project updates.

  • Supported oral histories, interviews, and storytelling to elevate resident experiences and priorities.

Role
Climate Resilience Specialist, Adaptation International

Year
April 2024 – October 2024 (with ongoing implementation)

Community Lead: Fuerza Unida

Municipal Partner/Client: City of San Antonio – Office of Sustainability

Funder: Climate Smart Communities Initiative ($96,000) *Phase 2

Location
South San Antonio, Texas