Impacts of Extreme Heat on Activity-Mobility and Time Use Patterns

Understanding the Impacts of Extreme Heat on Human Activity-Mobility and Time Use Patterns

​Principal Investigator: Irfan Batur, Associate Research Technologist, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
​Co-Principal Investigator: Ram M. Pendyala, Director and Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Project Duration: 12 months
​Project Budget (Federal UTC Funds): N/A
Project Budget (Cost-share): N/A
Institution: Arizona State University

Abstract
There is growing interest in understanding the interaction between weather and transportation and the ability of communities and the nation’s infrastructure to withstand extreme conditions and events. In recent years, extreme heat conditions are being felt across the globe with increasing frequency. This research project aims to provide detailed insights into how people adjust and change their activity-travel patterns and time use behavior in the face of extreme heat conditions. The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data series is used to facilitate the analysis. Weather data is merged with time use records to enable a comparison of activity-mobility patterns between extreme heat days and non-extreme days. A series of models are estimated to understand the impact of extreme heat even after controlling for other variables. The findings reveal that heat has a significant impact on time use and activity-mobility patterns, with some groups exhibiting potentially greater vulnerability arising from the inability to adapt sufficiently to extreme heat. Designing dense, shaded urban environments, declaring heat days to allow people to stay home, and providing transportation vouchers for vulnerable populations can help mitigate the ill-effects of extreme heat.

Research Products and Implementation

​​Final Report (coming soon)