SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s Office of Sustainability and two community organizations are expected to utilize funding awarded last month to address extreme heat in the South San neighborhood.
The funding, which totals $2.2 million across 21 grants, was allocated by the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI).
The Office of Sustainability and its two partners — Fuerza Unida and Adaptation International — received a $96,000 grant, according to an Aug. 7 CSCI news release. The San Antonio partnership was the only project in Texas to receive funding.
A spokesperson for the sustainability office said the grant would be used to continue some of the work identified in the first phase of the South San Heat Resilience Project.
Additionally, it would also assist Fuerza Unida and Adaptation International to explore building leadership and community engagement efforts.
The full report can be seen below.
“The goal of the overall project is to advance a collaborative effort to address the risk of extreme heat to elderly and low-income residents in San Antonio’s South San neighborhood,” the spokesperson said.
The grant will also fund the following budget categories:
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South San/Neighborhood Cooling Committee
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Youth Green Workforce and Community Canopy Program
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Community stipends, outreach and interpretation
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Assistance with hosting meetings and workshops
“The Office of Sustainability will provide in-kind support for these projects via OS staff technical support, as well as trees and training from the San Antonio Parks and Rec Urban Forestry Department,” the spokesperson said.
Urban heat islands in San Antonio
South San, separated by Quintana Road, encompasses land near Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field Annex and Port San Antonio.
The community, according to the December 2024 report, “experiences intense heat island effects caused by limited tree canopy and extensive dark surfaces, which elevate temperatures above citywide averages.”
Urban heat islands (UHI) occur when a city’s temperature is much warmer than rural areas, according to a City of San Antonio web page. Temperature differences are related to how well surfaces in the environment absorb and retain heat.
In San Antonio, for instance, a lack of tree coverage compared to impervious surfaces — namely, asphalt and concrete — could cause a surge in UHIs. Other factors include a lack of vegetation and a city’s urban design.
Another factor observed in the 2024 report as a driver of extreme heat and environmental pollution is “legacy industrial challenges” from nearby active and abandoned industrial sites.
“This convergence of environmental and health challenges underscores the urgent need for equitable, targeted interventions,” the report describes.
The report concluded with several key takeaways for the South San community, as well as recommendations for other neighborhoods that may benefit from a similar effort.
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