Brian Stone, Jr.

Brian Stone, Jr. is a Professor in the School of City & Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Design. He directs the Urban Climate Lab, focusing on urban environmental planning, climate change adaptation, and heat island mitigation. His work integrates environmental science, urban design, and public health to develop strategies for climate-resilient cities. Stone's research is supported by the NSF, CDC, and EPA, with recent studies emphasizing extreme heat risk assessments, urban infrastructure resilience during compound climate events, and the health impacts of heat exposure.

Education: Ph.D. and degrees in environmental management/planning from Duke University and Georgia Tech. Specialization includes urban form-climate interactions and climate justice. His book Radical Adaptation (2024) proposes transformative urban strategies for climate changed worlds, building on his earlier work honored with the 2012 Choice Award. Media coverage includes features in New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR.

Key contributions include defining 'urban heat management,' modeling heat-wave/blackout compounding risks, and evaluating tree planting/cool roofing strategies. Current projects address climate viability thresholds in cities, spatial equity in heat exposure, and municipal adaptation frameworks. Grants support work on heat tolerance indices, indoor thermal resilience, and regional climate modeling.

Awards include the 2012 Choice Award for The City and the Coming Climate. His lab's collaborations span academic, governmental, and NGO sectors. Stone advises on local and national climate policy, emphasizing actionable science for urban planners.