Urban Heat Island Resident Assistant — Know your risk. Find cooling near you. Take action.
Urban heat islands make city neighborhoods up to 20°F hotter than surrounding rural areas. This isn't random — it follows the lines of historical disinvestment. Low-income neighborhoods have less tree cover, more pavement, older buildings, and fewer resources to cope. The result: thousands of heat-related deaths every year, overwhelmingly in communities that can least afford AC.
Residents have almost no tools built for them. HeatShield changes that.
Enter any address and HeatShield instantly provides:
- Live UHI delta: Real temperature comparison between your urban location and a rural reference point 25 km away (Open-Meteo, no API key required)
- AI-powered risk score (1–10): Gemini analyzes temperature, humidity, and urban conditions
- Risk factors, vulnerable groups, and health risks specific to your location
- Real data from OpenStreetMap via Overpass API — libraries, community centers, pools, parks within 3 km
- Shows distance, address, and opening hours
- Tell HeatShield your housing type and renter/owner status
- Gemini streams a personalized plan in three tiers: immediate, short-term, and community-level
- Renter-specific options that don't require landlord permission
- Sliders for trees planted, cool roof coverage, and green space
- Estimates temperature reduction and CO2 savings from community interventions
- Direct links to 211, LIHEAP, DOE Weatherization, EPA Heat Island resources, and Tree Equity Score
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js 16 (App Router) |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 |
| AI | Google Gemini 2.5 Flash |
| Weather | Open-Meteo (free, no key) |
| Geocoding | Nominatim / OpenStreetMap (free, no key) |
| Places | Overpass API / OpenStreetMap (free, no key) |
The only API key required is Google AI (Gemini).
# Install dependencies
cd heatshield
npm install
# Add your Google AI key to .env.local
echo "GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY=..." > .env.local
# Run
npm run devapp/
page.tsx # Landing page
results/page.tsx # Results dashboard
api/
heat-profile/route.ts # UHI analysis (geocode + weather + Gemini)
cooling/route.ts # OSM cooling centers
action-plan/route.ts # Streaming Gemini action plan
lib/
geocode.ts # Nominatim geocoding
weather.ts # Open-Meteo weather
overpass.ts # OSM Overpass + haversine distance