Urban planning and transportation planning must prioritise measures that address the heat island effect.

• Improving building insulation to reduce the need for air conditioning.
• Switching to cool urban materials that absorb less solar radiation.
• Increasing urban vegetation to provide more shade and reduce radiant temperature.
• Reducing heat associated with human activities (heating, etc.) to reduce the heat island effect.

Various mitigation plans have been proposed, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s "Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies"