Strengthening City Infrastructure Against Climate Extremes | Eileen Higgins & Kate Gallego

As extreme heat, flooding and air pollution intensify, cities are being forced to rethink how they protect residents and keep essential systems running. In this conversation, Cassie Sutherland of C40 speaks with Mayor Eileen Higgins of Miami and Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix about practical climate resilience: cooling centres, shade infrastructure, stormwater planning, worker heat protections, district cooling, resilient parks, living seawalls and public health responses. This is a grounded look at what city leadership looks like when climate change becomes an everyday reality, and what other cities can learn from Miami and Phoenix #ClimateResilience #ClimateAction #UrbanResilience #PublicHealth #C40Cities 00:00 Cities on the frontline of climate extremes 02:18 Miami’s daily reality: flooding, rising seas and water stress 05:24 Phoenix and the politics of extreme heat 06:43 Shade, trees and cooling the public realm 10:48 Miami’s stormwater plan and living seawalls 13:25 Cooling centres, resilience hubs and vulnerable communities 17:43 Phoenix’s chief heat officer and cool pavement strategy 20:28 Emergency heat response and mobile cooling units 22:01 Cool poverty, housing and air conditioning 26:30 Audience question: is air conditioning part of the problem? 31:31 Data centres, heat and sustainable infrastructure 35:50 Climate denial, language and local politics 39:07 Speaking to residents through lived experience