A Planetizen article described the importance of a new edition of the California Healthy Places Index that is designed to educate communities about the risks of extreme heat. Developed by the Public Health Alliance of Southern California in partnership with the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, the Healthy Places Index is a powerful tool that analyzes community conditions to predict life expectancy, compare and rank scores at multiple California locations, and inform the public about concrete policy solutions. The index’s new Extreme Heat Edition provides datasets on projected heat exposure for Californians, including indicators measuring community conditions and sensitive populations as well as resources and funding opportunities that can be used to address extreme heat. The Center for Innovation explained that heat is an equity issue, so it is important to identify where protections are most needed and where they’ll have the biggest impact.