Want to tell Worcester City Hall to cool it? Here's your chance.

WORCESTER — If you’re a property owner in Worcester where the summer heat is extremely high, you can tell the city about it and offer suggestions to bring down the heat.

City Hall recently rolled out a so-called crowdsource map where you can mark the area of the city where your property is located and suggest what you want done to bring the temperature down.

To participate, log on to tinyurl.com/worcestercrowdsourcemap.

Some parts of Worcester, especially urban heat islands in the city’s downtown core, are at least 10 degrees hotter on some summer days, according to recent studies by Clark University and Urban Climate Consulting LLC, a spinoff of Georgia Institute of Technology that was hired a few years ago by the city to do a heat impact study.

The study estimated that Worcester experiences approximately eight deaths and 120 to 320 hospital visits yearly for heat-related conditions.

Property owners who log on to the map are presented with several suggested options to beat the heat, including Miyawaki forests, cool pockets and having a tree planted on their yard or in front of it that give off shade. Residents can also present their own ideas to cool things off in their neighborhoods.

Luba Zhaurova, project planner in the city’s Department of Sustainability and Resilience, explained the map builds on Worcester’s work to bring resiliency projects to the city to fight climate change. Information collected from the map could turn into future projects.

“We’re asking for ideas from people who work, live and play here, and what may be a good fit,” said Zhaurova.

The map is expected to be online for another month, maybe longer, said Zhaurova. City officials will gather all suggestions and consider them as future grant opportunities and other funding sources develop.

A $400,000 state grant paid for the city's two Miyawaki forests , plus the design of two cool pockets.

One forest is located near the Worcester Public Library branch downtown, another at Plumley Village Apartments. These are tiny forests of trees, shrubs and bushes native to the local climate and soil. They require little maintenance and provide environmental benefits, including shade and carbon capture, and absorb water to lessen impacts from flooding.

Cool pockets provide similar environmental benefits. Two have been designed for Vernon Hill Park and Columbus Park Elementary School. The city needs more money to turn the designs into developed projects.

Those who log on to the crowdsource map and want a tree on their property should remember that the city pays for the tree and the planting if the resident agrees to maintain it.

That generally means watering it for the first year or two after planting because that’s a critical period for a young tree’s survival, said Zhaurova. If it grows to produce a good amount of leaves, the shade can help lower the temperature on broiling summer days.

“We hope the ideas keep streaming in," said Zhaurova of the crowdsource map, "and we’ll see what ideas come to the top."

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.