West, South Side Residents Question City's Latest Extreme Heat Plan

West and South Side residents came to Columbus Park Refectory on July 15, expecting to learn how the city might finally protect them from extreme heat. After Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar's opening remarks, they watched scenes from “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code”—a sobering reminder of the more than 739 neighbors who lost their lives during Chicago’s 1995 heat wave. What followed was a glimpse into Chicago's Heat Vulnerability Index, context from the Metropolitan Planning Council, then data from Northwestern University's Dr. Jennifer Chan, before a panel discussion about Chicago's public health crisis.

While the city unveiled its new Heat Vulnerability Index Report (HVI)—a data-driven tool developed with Northwestern's Buffett Institute and partners ranging from city health departments to community organizations like People for Community Recovery and Elevate—environmental community activists and residents question the city's ability to support those most vulnerable to the effects of a warmer climate. Their concerns echo sentiments from the documentary: "We all know what a healthy neighborhood looks like," said Linda Rae Murray, M.D. MPH, a retired Chief Medical Officer of Cook County Department of Public Health. “It's not about mansions. It's about access to grocery stores, coffee shops, cooling centers, and a government that listens when we say we're suffering.”

The new Heat Vulnerability Index is said to be the first of its kind in Chicago to integrate community-informed data with public health and environmental indicators. Developed by researchers at Northwestern in collaboration with the City of Chicago and local partners, the tool identifies which neighborhoods are most at risk during extreme heat events. Drawing from 46 variables, including socioeconomic status, environmental exposure, infrastructure gaps, and medical data, the HVI maps out neighborhood-level vulnerabilities to guide targeted interventions.

“Austin and Edgewater may have the same combined vulnerability score, but when you break it down you see that Austin's vulnerability score is driven by a lack of trees, and Edgewater's vulnerability score is driven by a high percentage of seniors living alone,” explained Ben Barrett, a student researcher at Northwestern, giving a hypothetical example. This kind of detail, Barrett notes, allows for more tailored, localized solutions, from planting trees to enhancing community outreach or emergency services.

During the event’s Q&A session, a participant raised a critical point about the Heat Vulnerability Index's methodology, questioning whether the current mapping approach adequately captures neighborhood-level variations. The critique suggested that while some areas might appear uniform at a broader scale, street-by-street analysis could reveal significant disparities in factors like tree cover.

For some in attendance, especially those from Austin, North Lawndale, and Pullman, the new tool brings skepticism. These neighborhoods, long shaped by redlining and disinvestment, have learned to question city promises.

“You really think folks want to sit somewhere when they already understand police over-police our communities and think, 'Oh yeah, it's a safe place for me to go'? It ain't even a safe place for you to go when you're being harassed—you think you'll keep cool there?” said Rachel Williams, a member of the Chicago Doula Collective who lives in the Roseland/Pullman area. “We have one of the crappiest hospitals, but folks understand if something goes wrong, they'll go there to keep cool. We have to be intentional about building up institutions ... Most Black and Brown neighborhoods have a plethora of churches. Are they running consistently? Are they making sure they have ventilation? I remember as a four-year-old in '95 going to churches to stay cool. That means investing in spaces that may be the most unlikely—not just for Sunday service, but when folks need it most.” Williams was one of four women speaking on the panel that evening.

Longtime Chatham resident Reverend Booker Vance spoke with us about his experience during the 1995 heat wave. “Out of that heat crisis …  we began to see the city and other entities trying to put together some preventative stuff with educating communities,” he said.  “But … the heat was only masking a lot of other environmental and social challenges that were impacting some of our neighborhoods and community, and we needed to look at other things that need to be done.” 

Vance expressed cautious faith in the Johnson administration to prioritize addressing rising climate-related issues plaguing underserved communities. “... 20 years later, and we have some improvements. Mayor Johnson is trying to do some things. But as you heard ... the problem is not just one-dimensional, it's multi-dimensional. Besides jobs, housing, water and water distribution, and heat impacts on communities, we have to create a multi-faceted battle plan for dealing with this.”

While the Johnson administration has signaled support for climate initiatives, such as the Hazel Johnson Environmental Justice Ordinance and a renewed Climate Action Plan, many residents are asking what comes next. Some voiced concern that, despite the promises, real implementation often stalls when city resources are stretched. With Chicago facing a $982.4 million budget deficit and no clear funding sources identified for heat interventions, beyond the $152.1 million allocated to regulatory departments like the Department of Environment, questions remain about how much follow-through West and South Side communities can realistically expect.

The HVI is not yet publicly available, and the city has not specified when it will be accessible to the public. Northwestern and the Chicago Department of Public Health are working to host it on a city platform. For advocates, the hope is that transparency and targeted investment will turn data into action and ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.