Smart Surfaces Coalition Decision Support Tool (DST)
About the Tool:
The Decision Support Tool (DST) is a geospatial analysis tool designed to support Smart Surfaces policy and planning at the city and metropolitan area levels. The DST was developed by the Trust for Public Land in collaboration with Smart Surfaces Coalition, World Resources Institute, and Altostratus, Inc.
The tool contains data layers on existing surface infrastructure (roofs, roads, parking lots, tree canopy, etc), health vulnerability statistics, socioeconomic data, race/ethnicity data, heat mapping, flooding vulnerability, results from micrometeorological heat modeling of Smart Surfaces’ impact on air temperature, and more. The tool features a query function designed to support planning and investment prioritization and to identify particularly vulnerable census tracts and neighborhoods within the city and metro area based on parameters determined by the user. For example, a user can input a query to identify the hottest neighborhoods with the lowest percentage of tree canopy and the highest percentage of vulnerable populations.
Use the geospatial DST to identify particular city council districts or census tracts that would benefit most from targeted investments or incentives, if citywide policy is infeasible. The DST may also be used to support city plans, policies, and grant applications, or to aid communication between city staff, policymakers, and the public.