CLARK HACKATHON 2024 GROUP: Charlie VandenBosch and Dylan Clements
The unzipme file has all three files zipped up
The three files are also in the repository individually
The powerpoint file is our google slides presentation
Please run 'pip install requests' and 'pip install Pillow' in your terminal before running program
Also make sure the two images in the zip file are in the same place as the python file

Cities tend to be 1-7°F hotter than their suburban counterparts. This is primarily due to the abundance of heat absorbing materials such as asphalt and concrete, alongside the lack of vegetation. Every road, sidewalk, parking lot, and concrete building is a magnet for heat and slowly seeps it into the air close to the ground.

This artificial rise in heat causes two main issues. One is the quality of life of residents, extreme high temperatures can make going outside dangerous and day to day activities harder. The second is the environmental impact, the hotter it is the more people have to do to cool down. Air conditioning is responsible for nearly 4% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, so this problem is self-fulfilling. The hotter it gets, the more AC units are used, the more they are used, the worse Global Warming gets. So tackling artificial heat at the roots is key.

Researchers from the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted a Heat Risk assessment for Worcester, in which they created an up to date heat map of the city. The consensus was that much of Worcester is at medium or even high risk of serious heat crisis in the future. Crisis level is determined by amount of tree coverage, air conditioning, and heat-related mortality. (https://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/b3/49/b349ee5fb569021ece3ed3c914625074/gwac-urban-climate-consulting-presentation.pdf)

For Clark Academic Spree Day 2021 students researched the relationship between tree retention and tree-related city ordinances in Worcester. As part of their project they created a tree coverage map of the city. (https://commons.clarku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2713&co ntext=asdff)

The relation between the heat study and the tree coverage study can be seen when comparing their respectives maps:

Our project enables Worcester residents to see their location on both the heat and tree coverage maps, allowing them to visualize the tree coverage situation in their neighborhood and the negative effects it is having on their quality of life and the environment as a whole. Our program also provides information to users on how to utilize Worcester City resources to plant trees in public spaces and get in touch with their representatives to support policies to protect and grow tree coverage in Worcester.