The Pulse
Oct. 19, 2023

An Edmonton-based data visualization company has launched a new interactive map on climate vulnerability around the U.S. that aims to equip policymakers and communities with actionable insights.

Darkhorse Analytics built The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) to visualize the findings of Characterizing vulnerabilities to climate change across the United States, a study by Texas A&M University and the Environmental Defense Fund.

"Darkhorse has a history of working a lot in economic mobility and other areas of the social paradigm, but we've never done anything large in the environmental world," vice-president Craig Hiltz told Taproot. "Our mission is to use data science and data visualization to help make an impact in the world."

The CVI comprises 184 sets of data used to rank more than 73,000 census tracts on how vulnerable they are to the effects of climate change. The data sets are organized into numerous sub-categories split between baseline vulnerabilities that reduce community resilience and climate change risks that have a direct or indirect impact. Cumulatively, the dashboard offers ways to browse and filter data across the U.S. to gain insights on what is driving climate vulnerability where and by how much. Once users land on the data they're looking for, the tool generates a report with specifics.

"Finding a way to structure that in a tree-like form that our users can roam around fairly quickly was probably the biggest challenge on a design front," said Rob Korzan, the Darkhorse team member who led design. "Technically, it would be showing those data points at all 73,000-ish tracts in the U.S. and having the tool be performant … being able to click on a new indicator and seeing the map change without waiting for 10 seconds."

Taking data from a paper and visualizing it can help to reveal things that could otherwise go unnoticed.

"In Houston, for instance, we have this thing. We call it 'The Arrow,'" said Grace Tee Lewis, a senior health scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund. "There are some neighbourhoods that are clustered together. They form what looks like an arrow. And that's kind of like the dividing line between the haves and the have-nots."

The CVI uses a colour scale to indicate the intensity of climate vulnerability. But the ability to zoom in on specific indicators like access to care, socioeconomic stressors, pollution sources, and transportation helps unpack the "why."

"There are a lot of communities across the United States that are in need. And they may have the same CVI score, but the profile of what makes them vulnerable, cumulatively, can be really different," Tee Lewis said.

• Edmonton Transit Service announced it will decommission its old fare vending machines on Nov. 1 and replace them with Arc fare machines. Riders will not be able to buy paper tickets or passes from the old machines. The city says the Arc products will "provide the majority of riders with a comparable fare option and offer more modern payment methods." All fare products, including tickets, will still be available at ETS sales outlets and the ETS online store.
• City councillors reflected on their work so far as their term hit the halfway mark. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he "never imagined the kind of social issues" the city has faced since becoming mayor, including increased homelessness, and the mental health and addictions crisis. Coun. Tim Cartmell said while there has been progress improving downtown safety, he's "certainly not satisfied." Coun. Erin Rutherford said council has laid some good foundations over the past two years that will bring to fruition "things that Edmontonians can practically see in their day-to-day lives."
• Chief Dale McFee of the Edmonton Police Service made an appearance on CBC's Edmonton AM radio show to discuss progress made in the month since the police service launched its Safer Public Spaces approach to policing. McFee said that the police service is "putting balance back into the system" by connecting people to health and social services, and addressing violence on the streets. The approach is about "channelling people to the right resources for that situation, and sometimes it's going to be the criminal justice system," he said.
• The University of Alberta launched the University of Alberta Innovation Fund to invest in startup ventures working on solving global challenges. The fund, supported by private donors and public partners, will focus on innovations in artificial intelligence, health, energy, and agriculture. The first company chosen for investment is RL Core Technologies, an Edmonton-based AI startup that uses reinforcement learning to improve industrial control systems.
• Edmonton's office market saw a net absorption of 165,000 square feet in the latest quarter, while downtown vacancies fell to 20.4% and suburban vacancies to 17.4%. Avison Young, which reported the numbers, said the absorption rate breaks the previous record set in Q3 of 2018, when 158,000 square feet was absorbed. Demand was driven by educational institutions, including NorQuest College, which expanded its downtown space by 63,000 square feet, and the Edmonton Classical Academy charter school, which signed a lease for 61,000 square feet. Edmonton has the second-highest downtown office vacancy rate of any major Canadian market after Calgary.
• The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating an incident in which a man died after being arrested by police officers. The Edmonton Police Service said officers responded to calls on Sept. 20 about a man acting erratically and swinging an ice chipper. They said the man dropped it and complied with police orders, but went into medical distress after officers restrained him. He was taken to hospital, where he died 12 days later.
• The intersection of 107 Avenue and 105 Street was closed for part of the day on Oct. 18 after the LRT struck a man in his 30s, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police are investigating.
• Crews are preparing Commonwealth Stadium for the Heritage Classic on Oct. 29, which will see the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Calgary Flames in an outdoor game. A large mobile refrigeration truck, one of two owned by the NHL, arrived at the stadium on Oct. 17. This year's event marks the 20th anniversary of the original Heritage Classic, which was the first regular-season outdoor game in NHL history.
• Dave Ewanec and his family built a spooky pirate ship in the front yard of their Beacon Heights home for Halloween. The ship, constructed with pallets and plywood, features cannons, armed skeleton pirates, billowing sails, and a plank. Ewanec is inviting the public to visit the display and is collecting food donations to support Edmonton's Food Bank.
• The Alberta government said it is moving forward on 11 recommendations to improve primary health care access made in the final report from the Modernizing Alberta's Primary Health Care System (MAPS) initiative. The province will take six actions immediately, including allocating $57 million over three years to family doctors and nurse practitioners, and creating two new divisions in the Ministry of Health.

Here are some opportunities to offer your input on civic initiatives, including neighbourhood renewal projects in Meyokumin and Oliver, and a new recreation centre in Queen Alexandra.

• Meyokumin Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal (refine) — The City of Edmonton has released its final design for the Meyokumin renewal project and entered its refine-level stage of public engagement. Residents are invited to review the final design and ensure it reflects the project's vision and guiding principles. An online engagement event is happening on Oct. 24, and an online survey will be open until Oct. 26.
• Rollie Miles Recreation Centre (design) — The City of Edmonton entered the final round of public engagement for the design phase of its Rollie Miles Recreation Centre Project, which is developing a new recreation centre in the Rollie Miles District Activity Park in the Queen Alexandra neighbourhood. Earlier this year, the city released a "flythrough" video showcasing the design concept as well as a What We Heard Report summarizing public engagement from 2023. An online survey will be open until Nov. 1.
• Oliver Neighbourhood Renewal — The City of Edmonton has begun planning and design work for the Oliver renewal project, and residents can expect to see crews completing a variety of planning activities in the area this October. For the next three years, city teams will be engaging with residents, property owners, and other stakeholders to help shape the future of the neighbourhood. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026. Community walks and pop-up engagement activities will take place this fall, and an online survey will be open until Nov. 17.

More input opportunities

• By Oct. 19: October Mixed Topic Survey in Edmonton
• By Oct. 20: 2023 Newsletter Strategy in Leduc County
• Oct. 25, Oct. 26, Nov. 7, and Nov. 16: District Planning Public Engagement Sessions in Edmonton
• By Oct. 31: Transit Master Plan in Strathcona County
• By Oct. 31: Hairsine Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal (advise) in Edmonton
• By Oct. 31: Home Fire Safety Assessment in Edmonton
• By Nov. 5: Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw Renewal: Phase 1 of Public Engagement in Edmonton
• By Nov. 22: Vibrant Streets Art Contest (voting) in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Washroom Survey in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Engagement Feedback Survey in Edmonton

Photo: 104 Avenue in the Oliver neighbourhood, looking west. (Mack Male/Flickr)