Inquiries into the dynamics of urban systems have improved our understanding of urban systems over the last century. However, cities continue to struggle to achieve sustainability goals. Most decisions made in urban management are based on the system scale. However, high gradients in urban areas and their interconnectedness to both exogenous and endogenous factors are significant factors that impact urban systems and should therefore be carefully considered when making decisions regarding urban sustainability.
This raises several questions about how such scales should be selected, their dimensions, and how they should be modeled. During this presentation, I will discuss research conducted at appropriate spatial scales (e.g., from city to street scale) and system-level modeling for heat, pollution, energy, and environmental justice issues. I will also provide an overview of how community-driven interdisciplinary urban science can contribute to developing robust solutions to help urban communities and ecosystems survive and thrive.
Dr. Ashish Sharma is the Climate and Urban Sustainability Lead at the Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois System. In addition, he also holds a joint appointment as a Climate Scientist at the Environmental Science Division of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University (2012).
The focus of his research is on atmospheric sciences and land-atmosphere interactions at a variety of spatial scales (regional to local). He collaborates across science, engineering, social sciences, and policy to perform collaborative, applied, and translational research focused on reducing vulnerabilities and increasing preparedness in urban environments. He works with cities and institutions to research environmental issues related to heat, fog, air quality, high-impact weather, and environmental justice topics. He has projects funded by NSF, NASA, DOE, and foundations. He is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and Associate Editor of the Frontiers in Environmental Science: Atmosphere and Climate journal. He is the co-author of the first climate action plan for the Chicago metro region (2021), which has been recognized nationally.