What we're reading this week | The #FridayFive

July Was Boston's Hottest Month Ever Recorded. Climate Scientists Are Sounding The Alarm
WGBH, August 1, by Anna Kusmer
Hot summer months are not unusual for Boston, but record-breaking heat tests the limits of city resources and threatens the health of vulnerable residents. Studies based on climate change predictions suggest what feels unusual now could be an omen of what’s to come.  Historically, Boston has an average of 11 days a year with 90-degree plus temperatures. That number will jump to 41 days by the year 2050 if climate change continues on its current path, according to climate scientist Rachel Licker. 

Boston's Plan to Fight Climate Change
Bloomberg, July 29
Boston has an ambitious plan to fight climate change and create a carbon-free future. This video is from the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular." (Source: Bloomberg) 

Friends of the Public Garden Teams With City to Begin Public Engagement for Boston Common Master Plan
Mission Hill Gazette, August 2, by Lauren Bennett
According to Friends of the Public Garden Executive Director Liz Vizza, the collaboration is currently in a “comprehensive planning process,” and the City and the Friends are aiming to mobilize the effort to obtain feedback from residents of the city about what they’d like to see for the reimagined Boston Common. 

Volunteers Seek to Find Hottest Parts of Boston
NBC Boston, July 27, by Michael Page
Boston’s Museum of Science wants to learn more about the “Urban Heat Island” effect, locating and mapping which parts of the city retain the most heat. This can be valuable for city planners going forward, as officials plan out where to build parks, or think of other ways to help cut down on the heat getting trapped. Starting on Monday, the Museum will lead a group of volunteers around Boston, Cambridge and Brookline, measuring the temperature at various points during the day.

Renderings revealed for Manhattan’s first public ‘beach’
6sqft, July 25, by Devin Gannon
The Hudson River Park Trust unveiled on Wednesday a preliminary concept for its plan to bring a public beach to Manhattan. The Meatpacking District site, known as the Gansevoort Peninsula, measures about 5.5 acres on the waterfront and formerly served as a parking lot for the city’s sanitation department. The new park will feature a beach area with kayak access, a sports field, a salt marsh, and areas to picnic and lounge.