Mehdi Heris is an urban planner with extensive experience in urban geospatial data analytics. His broad research is focused on bridging the science of urban ecosystems with planning policies and processes. Mehdi collaborates with city planners in multiple cities, including the City of New York, Denver, CO, and Cambridge, MA, to develop policies regarding heat mitigation and green infrastructure.

As an expert in the application of geospatial sciences in urban environments, he has done extensive research on the environmental benefits (heat mitigation, rainfall interception, and air quality) of urban trees by building models at both site and national levels. He has developed and published several datasets, including a national rasterized building dataset and Denver’s tree cover. Mehdi is also an avid street photographer and urbanist.