Healthy Urban Environments was a collaborative initiative that combined the power of Arizona State University’s entrepreneurship, research and innovation infrastructure with partnership, support and collaboration from Maricopa County and its communities.

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As urban centers across the desert Southwest continue to grow in size and density, so do the challenges posed by the expansion of the built environment. In Phoenix, Arizona, this expansion of the built environment creates conditions that magnify the intensity and duration of heat – making it difficult for residents to achieve thermal comfort throughout the day and night. Furthermore, the legacies of urban sprawl and transportation planning in the Phoenix metropolitan area have contributed to challenges with atmospheric pollutants. Urban heat and air quality issues intersect to produce negative health incomes that impact the region’s communities, particularly those who are most vulnerable and least able to adapt.

Healthy Urban Environments was a solutions-focused research, policy and technology incubator. HUE rapidly developed, tested and deployed heat-mitigation and air-quality improvement strategies and technologies. In collaboration with practitioners and community members, HUE worked to create healthier communities across Maricopa County. Deploying a regenerative operational model that used technology and policy outcomes to fertilize future research and development, HUE translated air quality and urban heat-related research into policy action, novel technology and commercialized intellectual property.

HUE received support from the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority, Award #AWD00033817.