The Ironbound site of Down Bottom Farms, at the corner of Ferry and St. Charles Streets, is surrounded by a largely working-class immigrant population. It\u2019s an area Rodriguez describes as \u201cforgotten\u201d because it\u2019s not picturesque, and lacks the iconic restaurants of the stretch of Ferry Street just to the west.<\/p>\n
The neighborhood is packed with black-top and concrete, transitioning from residential to industrial. Trees, or any greenery for that matter, are hard to find. That environment amplifies the area\u2019s temperature, often contributing to sweltering heat in the summer.<\/p>\n
The problem, called the urban heat island effect, was documented in New Jersey cities 15 years ago by Greg Pope, now Department Chair of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University.<\/p>\n
It mainly has to do with the lack of vegetation. What happens with an urban heat island, the urban surfaces, like pavement, cement and brick, and rooftops, they do a better job of absorbing heat during the day and then releasing it at night.<\/p>\n