Third-year landscape architecture students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln had it made in the shade as they learned by doing in Salvador Lindquist’s studio class.

Lindquist, assistant professor of landscape architecture, guided his students in a partnership with the city of Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center to develop heat action plans.

“The problem we’re trying to address is that extreme heat is the leading cause of disaster-related deaths in the United States,” Lindquist said. “The challenge is that the problem is going to continue to get worse over time with climate change. And so, as cities continue to heat up, there needs to be some sort of response to mitigating that heat in some way.”

Lindquist and his students collaborated with city officials, policymakers and community members as they developed the action plans. Learn more about the project in the video above and via a report from KETV’s Joey Safchik.