Examining Municipal Heat Problem Framings and Social Vulnerability: Implications for Social Work.

This article examines how 50 populous U.S. cities frame urban heat island (UHI) and extreme heat event (EHE) problems in relation to social vulnerability indicators—poverty, limited English proficiency, people of color (POC), and mobile home residency—using municipal planning documents and demographic data. Findings reveal a positive association between UHI framings and city poverty rates, a small negative association between UHI framings and POC rates, and a negative association between EHE framings and mobile home residency rates, suggesting uneven municipal recognition of heat vulnerabilities. The study highlights the importance of integrating social vulnerability considerations into urban heat management and underscores social work’s potential role in interdisciplinary collaboration, policy advocacy, and community engagement to promote equitable heat mitigation and adaptation strategies. Limitations include reliance on heat framing mentions rather than actual heat events and a focus on large cities, indicating a need for further research incorporating broader social vulnerability factors.