Some Detroit blocks are hotter, and some air harder to breathe.
The 48217 zip code in Southwest Detroit is regularly cited as one of the most industrially exposed areas in Michigan, while vacant, unshaded lots elsewhere in the city can run several degrees hotter than tree-covered blocks a mile away. This unit covers resource use, human impact, and environmental justice using real, mappable Detroit data.
NGSS Standards Addressed High School
- HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
- HS-ESS3-3 Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
- HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
- HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
NGSS Standards Addressed Middle School
- MS-ESS3-1 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distribution of Earth's resources affects human activity.
- MS-ESS3-3 Apply a design solution for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
- MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption affect Earth's systems.
- MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
Bell-Ringers
Project one at the start of class. Each has a click-to-reveal discussion note. More formats (Notice and Wonder, CER, Fact or Fiction, and more) are in the Bell-Ringer Bank.
On a hot summer afternoon, a paved lot with no trees can be 10–15°F hotter than a nearby tree-lined block — even in the same neighborhood. What causes this "urban heat island" difference at such a small scale?
Discussion notes
Southwest Detroit's 48217 zip code sits near a major oil refinery, an incinerator, and heavy truck traffic to the Ambassador Bridge. Why would living near several industrial sources at once matter more than living near just one?
Discussion notes
Detroit's sewer system combines stormwater and wastewater in some areas. During heavy rain, this can cause combined sewer overflows into the Detroit River. Why would climate change, which is expected to increase heavy rainfall events in the Great Lakes region, make this a growing problem?
Discussion notes
On a hot day, a paved parking lot can feel much hotter than a grassy park nearby, even though the sun shines equally on both. Why?
Discussion notes
Southwest Detroit sits near several factories and heavy truck traffic. If a neighborhood has more than one pollution source nearby, why might that be worse than living near just one?
Discussion notes
During heavy rainstorms, Detroit's sewer system sometimes releases untreated water into the Detroit River. Why might rainstorms be becoming a bigger problem for water quality as the climate changes?
Discussion notes
Labs
Mapping Environmental Justice: Heat & Air Quality in Detroit
Using Michigan's MiEJScreen tool and satellite map views, students compare two Detroit neighborhoods on air-related indicators and visible land use, then write an evidence-based explanation of what infrastructure and land-use differences might explain the gap.
Green Infrastructure Design: Rain Garden Challenge
Students design a rain garden or bioswale sized to absorb runoff from a model roof or parking lot, testing infiltration rate with different soil and plant setups to reduce combined sewer overflow risk.
Great Lakes Water Level Data Dive
Students graph decades of Great Lakes water level data, identify long-term trends and cycles, and connect fluctuations to climate patterns and shoreline infrastructure planning around Detroit.
Simulations
Urban Heat Island Explorer
Slide tree canopy and pavement coverage on a city block and see how afternoon temperature responds.
Launch Simulation →The Greenhouse Effect
PhET Interactive Simulations — model how atmospheric gases trap heat and compare pre-industrial to modern conditions.
Open Simulation →MiEJScreen (Michigan EGLE)
Michigan's public environmental justice mapping tool — the core dataset for the heat-and-air-quality lab.
Open Tool →NOAA Great Lakes Water Levels
NOAA GLERL — long-term, publicly available water level records for all five Great Lakes.
Open Data →Project Ideas
Neighborhood Tree Canopy Audit
Compare tree canopy coverage across two or three Detroit neighborhoods using satellite imagery, and propose priority planting sites to reduce heat island effects.
Cumulative Impact Policy Proposal
Research how "cumulative impact" zoning policies work in other cities and write a brief evaluating whether one could apply to Southwest Detroit's industrial corridor.
Stormwater Retrofit for a City Block
Design a green-infrastructure retrofit (rain gardens, permeable pavement, tree planting) for a real or model Detroit block to reduce combined sewer overflow risk.
Neighborhood Temperature Walk
Use a thermometer to record temperatures at a parking lot, a park, and a sidewalk near school, then map your results and explain the pattern you find.
Redesign a Vacant Lot
Sketch a redesign of a vacant Detroit lot that adds shade, plants, and a way to soak up rainwater, labeling how each feature helps cool the block.
Where Does Our Water Go?
Create a diagram tracing Detroit's water path from the Great Lakes to the treatment plant, to the tap, and back out through the sewer system to the river.
Show What You Know: Exit Ticket
Three quick questions to close the lesson. Answers are hidden until you click. Use Project Mode to display them full-screen.
Give two reasons a paved, treeless lot is hotter than a nearby tree-lined block.
Answer
What does 'cumulative impact' mean, and why can permits that look at one facility at a time miss it?
Answer
How does a rain garden reduce the chance of a combined sewer overflow?
Answer
Why does a parking lot feel hotter than a nearby park on a sunny day?
Answer
Why can heavy rain send untreated water into the Detroit River in places with combined sewers?
Answer
Name one action a neighborhood could take to cool its streets.
Answer
Environmental science, built on Detroit
Block-by-block heat differences tied to vacant land and tree canopy loss make the urban heat island effect something students can measure near their own school, not just read about.
Southwest Detroit's industrial corridor near the Ambassador Bridge is one of the most studied environmental justice communities in the country, giving students access to real public data and research.
As a Great Lakes city with an aging combined sewer system, Detroit's stormwater and river-quality challenges connect climate trends directly to local infrastructure decisions.
DTE Energy's ongoing shift from coal toward renewable and lower-carbon generation gives students a live case study in balancing resource use, cost, and emissions at city scale.
Who works on this in Detroit?
Real roles and organizations in and around the city where this science is part of the job.
Environmental scientist / regulator
Monitors air, water, and soil and enforces rules that protect public health and ecosystems.
Urban forester / arborist
Plants and maintains street trees to shade neighborhoods, cool the air, and manage stormwater.
Stormwater / green infrastructure engineer
Designs rain gardens, bioswales, and pipe upgrades that reduce combined sewer overflows.
Community air-quality advocate
Works with residents to gather data, share monitoring results, and push for cleaner neighborhoods.
Energy and climate analyst
Models emissions, costs, and resource options as the region shifts toward cleaner power.