Palm Springs to develop heat mitigation plan with $400,000 grant

Palm Springs is set to receive a $400,000 grant from the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) to develop a comprehensive plan addressing extreme heat impacts on transportation in the city.

Driving the news: The grant, one of the largest received by the city’s Office of Sustainability, was conditionally awarded to the city to develop strategies for safe and comfortable transportation during extreme heat conditions.

• The Palm Springs Sustainability Commission heard details of the grant during a meeting Tuesday evening. The City Council will vote to accept it at a July 25 meeting.

Why it matters: Recent data shows Palm Springs accounted for 73% of the heat-related illnesses in Riverside County last year. The Coachella Valley experienced 22 heat-related deaths and 618 emergency visits in 2023.

The big picture: The grant money will be used to create a comprehensive heat mitigation plan for multi-modal transportation, like walking, cycling, and transit, which will identify areas in the city most exposed to heat and develop design recommendations for shade structures and landscape designs.

The big question: Transportation-related emissions are the largest source (53%) of greenhouse gas emissions according to a recent report, and reducing emissions is one of the best ways to mitigate climate change. But the hotter it gets, the less likely people are to choose to walk, bike, or even travel to a bus stop. 

What they’re saying: “This is such a foundational piece to so much of how this work is done in Palm Springs, everything has to be heat aware and we have to be heat-oriented,” said LP McCloy, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability. “How can we have a plan to get people out of their cars when it’s like this [outside]?”

What’s next: If approved, the city will have until June 2027 to use the grant funds and complete the plan.

• Initial data analysis is expected to take about three months, starting in September.

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