Sara Meerow

Sara Meerow is currently an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University but will be transitioning in Fall 2026 to the University of Colorado Boulder, where she will be affiliated with the Department of Geography, Institute of Behavioral Science, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. She is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of urban geography and planning to make cities more resilient to climate change and other hazards. Her problem-driven, collaborative research focuses on how resilience is conceptualized and operationalized in urban governance and planning, the different ways in which cities are planning for resilience to flooding and extreme heat, and the complexities of planning green infrastructure as a strategy to enhance social and ecological resilience. Recent projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Department of Energy focus on developing and applying new methodologies to advance city planning for resilience to extreme heat and flooding. She previously co-led the Center for Heat Resilient Communities, a Center of Excellence established in 2024 by the U.S. National Integrated Heat Health Information System, was part of the third cohort of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Early Career Faculty Innovator Program, and a Humboldt Research Fellow. She has also written professional guidance for the American Planning Association, served as senior advisor for the Atlantic Council’s Heat Resilience Exchange, and been featured in national media.