(Mark and Karl discuss this topic on Mighty Municipalities Ep. 11)
Extreme heat isn’t just a “big city” issue.
Small towns are already dealing with hot playgrounds, seniors without reliable cooling, outdoor workers, power outages, overheated downtown sidewalks, and parks that simply cannot be used safely during the middle of the summer. In the South, it can be tempting to treat heat as just part of life.
But heat impacts how people work, sleep, recover, travel, and participate in the community. For residents with limited transportation, unreliable air conditioning, medical needs, pets, or mobility limitations, a few very hot days can quickly become a serious public safety issue.
The good news is that small municipalities do not have to start with a large capital project. A town can make real progress by identifying what it already has, organizing local partners, and taking a few practical steps before the next heat advisory.
Start With Emergency Heat Response
The first question is simple: if someone needs to cool down, where can they go?
Most towns already have potential cooling locations. The challenge is knowing which ones are usable, who controls access, and what limits each location may have. A church fellowship hall may have space but limited cooling. A town hall council chamber may be easy to open but only seat a small number of people. A school, library, recreation center, or senior center may be a great option, but only if there is a clear contact, staffing plan, and after-hours access process.
Before peak summer heat, towns should identify possible cooling locations and confirm the basics:
- Who has the keys?
- Who can approve opening the facility?
- Are bathrooms available?
- Is drinking water available?
- Is there enough cooling capacity?
- Is there backup power?
- Can residents bring pets?
- Can refrigerated medications be stored safely?
- Is there space for residents with oxygen, mobility devices, or other medical equipment?
This does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be written down. A simple cooling center inventory can help the town know which facilities are available, who to call, and how many people each location can realistically serve.
Where possible, towns should also set up simple memorandums of understanding with churches, nonprofits, schools, libraries, and other community partners before the emergency occurs. The middle of a heat event is not the best time to figure out who is authorized to unlock a building.
Summer Power Outages Can Become Heat Emergencies
Heat emergencies are not always caused by record-breaking temperatures.
A 93-degree day can become dangerous if a storm knocks out power for several hundred homes. Residents who normally do fine with air conditioning may suddenly need somewhere to go. Residents with refrigerated medicine, oxygen, dialysis equipment, or other electric medical equipment may need help quickly.
That means heat planning and power outage planning should be connected.
Towns should identify which facilities have generators, solar, battery backup, or other ways to stay operational during an outage. A building that can serve as a cooling site during a normal heat advisory may not be available if the entire neighborhood loses power.
A summer outage drill can be very useful. Ask the question: if the power went out across town at 2 p.m. on a hot weekday, who would we call, what would we open, and how would residents know where to go?
Know Who May Need Help
A cooling center is only helpful if people know about it and can get there.
That is why towns should identify residents who may need assistance before the heat event happens. This can be done through neighborhood surveys, churches, senior groups, public safety outreach, or volunteer networks.
Useful survey questions include:
- Do you have working air conditioning?
- Do you have transportation to a cooling location?
- Do you rely on refrigerated medication?
- Do you use oxygen, dialysis equipment, or other electric medical equipment?
- Do you have pets that would need cooling accommodations?
- Would you like a volunteer check-in during heat advisories?
- Is there a public place near you that needs more shade?
This information does not have to be perfect to be useful. Even a small list of residents who may need check-ins during a heat advisory can make a difference.
This is also a great project for community partners. Churches can check on congregants. Neighborhood volunteers can help identify seniors who may need assistance. Students or interns can help contact facilities, update phone numbers, and build the first version of the town’s cooling inventory.
Prepare the Message Before the Emergency
When a heat advisory is issued, the town should not have to write every message from scratch.
Prepare templates in advance for:
- Opening a cooling location
- Asking churches or nonprofits about available space
- Requesting volunteers for resident check-ins
- Sharing transportation instructions
- Announcing water, misting, or shade locations
- Explaining what residents should bring with them
Use the same message in multiple places: town website, social media, printed signs, utility bills, church bulletins, local businesses, and phone trees.
In many small towns, the most effective communication method is still personal contact. A social media post is helpful, but a phone call, church announcement, or neighbor knocking on a door may reach the person who actually needs help.
Manage Daily Heat, Not Just Emergencies
Emergency response matters, but heat is also a day-to-day quality of life issue.
A park that is too hot to use, a sidewalk with no shade, or a downtown parking lot that radiates heat into the evening all affect how residents experience their town. Heat can reduce use of public spaces, discourage walking, and make already vulnerable areas feel less livable.
The first step is to identify the town’s hot and cool spots.
This can be done with a simple ambient temperature reader and a spreadsheet. Measure locations at the same time of day and compare the results. For example:
- Town hall parking lot
- Front of the library
- Playground surface
- Park pavilion
- Downtown sidewalk
- Bus stop or common waiting area
- Shaded area near trees
- Breezy area near water
- Senior housing entrance
- Municipal building entrance
The goal is not to create a perfect scientific study. The goal is to understand where people are most exposed and where the town already has cooler areas that can be used more intentionally.
A shady park bench, a pavilion with fans, or a breezy area near water may already be a useful cooling spot. A sidewalk next to a large asphalt lot may need trees, shade structures, or a different approach.
Sharing this information on the Town website or on a brochure and making those available to residents is a great way to communicate these options.
Short-Term Improvements Can Be Simple
Once a town knows its hot spots, it can look for small, affordable improvements.
Some examples include:
- Temporary shade canopies
- Misting stations
- Water stations
- Fans in existing shelters
- Benches in shaded areas
- Shaded waiting areas near public buildings
- Better signage pointing residents to cooler locations
These do not all require major new construction. If a town already has a picnic shelter with electricity, adding fans may be a relatively low-cost improvement. If a municipal building has a lobby or council chamber, opening that space during heat advisories may provide immediate relief.
Businesses can also help. A downtown business might agree to be a “cool stop” during heat advisories. A local sponsor might help fund a shade tree, bench, water station, or misting station. Recognizing those partners publicly can encourage others to participate.
Long-Term Heat Mitigation Starts With Shade
For longer-term planning, shade is one of the most practical tools a small town can use.
Trees are not just beautification. Shade trees near asphalt, sidewalks, parking lots, homes, playgrounds, and public buildings can reduce heat exposure and make public spaces more usable. The benefit is especially strong when shade prevents hard surfaces from heating up in the first place.
A small-town shade program could start with a few steps:
- Inventory hot public places.
- Prioritize schools, parks, sidewalks, senior housing areas, municipal buildings, and downtown walking routes.
- Partner with nurseries, garden clubs, master gardeners, churches, civic groups, utility providers, and local businesses.
- Give away or plant trees only where there is a watering and care plan.
- Track survival rates, not just trees planted.
That last point is important. A tree planting program should not be measured only by how many trees go into the ground. A successful program tracks whether those trees survive, whether they are cared for, and whether they eventually provide shade where the community needs it.
Programs a Small Town Can Copy
A small town does not need to invent an entire heat program from scratch. It can start with a few manageable pieces. The City of Tempe, Arizona spoke about implementing these programs on a GovLove Podcast. These can be scaled down to smaller communities:
Residential Steward Program
Recruit residents or neighborhood volunteers to water young trees, report heat concerns, and identify neighbors who may need help. Provide a simple checklist and start in one neighborhood with high heat exposure.
Business Partnership Program
Invite businesses to sponsor shade trees, benches, misting stations, water stations, or shaded waiting areas. Ask downtown businesses whether they can serve as “cool stop” locations during heat advisories.
Resiliency Improvements Can Serve Multiple Purposes
Generators, solar panels, batteries, building insulation, and HVAC improvements are not just internal facility upgrades. They can also support emergency operations and community resilience.
If town hall, a recreation center, or another municipal facility can stay cool during a power outage, it becomes more valuable to the whole community. That may also make heat response part of a broader resiliency funding strategy.
When planning building improvements, towns should ask:
- Could this facility serve residents during a heat emergency?
- Would backup power allow it to operate during a summer outage?
- Does the building have enough cooling capacity?
- Would better insulation reduce operating costs and improve comfort?
- Could this project support public safety, emergency management, and community resilience?
Thinking this way can help towns connect facility improvements to a broader community purpose and broaden the scope of grants for which the project might be eligible.
Downloadable Tools From the Episode
Here are some templates to help you get started:
- Misting and shade shelter construction videos and options: links to various YouTube videos from manufacturers and how-to sites on shade canopies and misting solutions.
- Neighborhood Heat Safety Survey: Survey sheet to collect data in the Neighborhoods.
- Town Temperature Survey – Spreadsheet to collect data at various town locations to identify your hot and cool areas.
- Cooling Center Survey Worksheet – PDF you can use to collect information about a potential cooling center.
- Cooling Center Inventory Spreadsheet – spreadsheet to compile your cooling center information so you have one spot to look at in and emergency.
Conclusion
Heat is one of those issues that can hide in plain sight.
Everyone knows it is hot. Everyone knows which playgrounds, parking lots, sidewalks, and buildings are uncomfortable in the summer. But until the town writes it down, measures it, and organizes a response, it is hard to know what to do first.
The starting point does not have to be expensive. Identify where people can cool down. Know who may need help. Prepare the message before the emergency. Measure the town’s hot spots. Add shade, water, fans, benches, and misting where they can help. Then build toward longer-term improvements like tree canopy, shade structures, building upgrades, and resilient public facilities.
Small towns already know how to bring people together. Beating the heat is another opportunity to use that strength.