The Urban Heat series

In the burning reality of climate change, soaring summer temperatures set unprecedented records. The heat affects all life and in urban landscapes, the heat can be at its worst. This article series is a transdisciplinary collaboration between health-related sciences, urban planning, design and communication, delving into how strategic and collaborative urban development plays a critical role in addressing climate change challenges.

The thematic focus of the academic platform SLU Urban Futures includes spatial and socio-ecological sustainability perspectives on urban landscapes as habitats for various groups of humans as well as other-than-human actors. The mission of the platform is to foster transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary ways of working as well as future-oriented teaching and research. The article series Urban Heat, which launches in March 2024, is a transdisciplinary collaboration across health-related sciences, spatial professions of urban planning, design, and landscape architecture as well as strategic communication. The aim is to find out how we can better respond to the phenomena of urban heat islands and heat waves.

“The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived.”
So announced United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres when the summer of 2023 became the hottest month in the past 120,000 years. Heatwaves pose a great risk to our cities, our landscapes, and the health of people, plants and animals.  Urban planning and landscapes are central to ensuring thermal comfort to cool down our cities, mitigating many health risks and improving well-being. 

This article series aims to raise awareness about the risks for human and non-human species’ health, from various angles within urban planning and landscape design. It delves into governmental and policy considerations while also igniting inspiration for action, emphasizing effective risk communication for action and change. Additionally, it sheds light on the unequal risks inherent in city planning for specific demographic groups, prompting necessary steps toward addressing inequality and its impacts on health outcomes.

Transdisciplinary collaborations help us understand potentially different discourses and perspectives on health and urban planning in correlation to heat waves, when we strive for a just and sustainable development of cities.

What do we know about the design of the cities and their effect on health, especially during heatwaves? How can we build cities for the future and prepare our cities today to mitigate the effects of heat waves?

Follow the series to explore these questions together with us!

This series is produced and peer-reviewed by SLU Urban Futures and written by Amanda Gabriel and Teresia Borgman.

The following articles will be published:

• Extreme urban heat – a serious threat in cities and a contemporary health hazard
  In this article, we raise awareness of the complexities of urban planning and development. Displaying how some planning practices can increase and/or reduce the phenomenon of urban heat islands and how they may amplify health risks for humans, animals, and plants.
  
• Creating microclimates with green and blue infrastructure
  How can we work with landscape architecture and create green and blue spaces to mitigate the effects of heat waves? What are microclimates and how can we create them in the city? 
  
• Global health and cross-sectoral governmental work 
  What is the global perspective on how governments are dealing with the health risks of urban heat islands? How could crossectorial work support the issue? What can we learn from the case of Athens – how have they worked with the topic of heatwaves? 
  
• Drivers of action for change – Strategic communication  
  How can research and science inform stakeholders about the dangers of heatwaves, to engage differently in public planning and public awareness? How does communication impact policy choices and social actions, that support prevention and mitigation practice? How do heatwaves affect individuals in their sustainable behavior?
  
• Synthesis article – How can we shape urban healthscapes within the context of heatwaves and urban heat islands?
  
  As the series develops this page will be updated.