City reports progress on Tucson Resilient Together: heat prep, trees and youth engagement highlighted

City staff presented a semiannual implementation update on Tucson Resilient Together on Jan. 21, reporting progress on climate action, heat preparedness and nature‑based solutions.

Fatima Luna, the city’s chief resilience officer, said the percentage of plan actions underway or completed rose from 74% to 85% over the previous year. Key accomplishments included a successful 2025 heat preparedness season supported by nearly 200 volunteers, distribution of more than 1,000 heat‑relief kits, outreach to mobile home residents and nearly 5,000 visits to city cooling centers during the summer heat season.

Luna described partnerships with the Pima County Health Department, the Red Cross, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, the Tucson Indian Center and community first‑responder groups to expand cooling capacity and outreach. She highlighted efforts to boost urban forestry and workforce development through the Growth Tucson grant; staff expect to increase tree production capacity with a goal of producing up to 7,000 trees for planting across the city.

Luna also promoted the upcoming third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, noting a youth panel and opportunities for community participation. She said the city secured foundation and philanthropic support, including a reported $50,000 grant for tree planting and an additional $30,000 for youth programming.

Mayor Regina Romero and Councilmembers praised the work and encouraged attendance at the heat summit; staff said the full report and corrected memo are available online.

Next steps: continue implementation, track metrics and expand partnerships and funding to scale heat‑resilience measures, including tree planting and neighborhood‑level preparedness.