Title 2
Let’s tackle heat, together!
Homes
‘I live high up in a large 1930s block of flats with no ventilation. I can barely make it through the summers without fainting in my own flat.’ Cities trap heat. For many residents, especially those in flats, on higher floors, with limited mobility or low income, overheating is a life-changing problem.
Action: Use our community action guides to think about your home and neighbourhood. Talk to other residents about how they keep cool and share what you learn. Explore this infographic from Shade the UK about what can be done to adapt buildings.
Action: Use our community action guides to think about your home and neighbourhood. Talk to other residents about how they keep cool and share what you learn. Explore this infographic from Shade the UK about what can be done to adapt buildings.
Let's Tackle Heat Together:
https://www.shadetheuk.com
https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/heatwaves-uk
https://www.meltingmetropolis.com
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts
Library
Find out more about our research publications, including histories and geographies of heat and cool across London, New York and Paris.Understanding how our cities have been built, how people tried to stay cool in the past, and why the impact of extreme heat is uneven can help us to better prepare for the future.
Action: Visit https://www.meltingmetropolis.com/resources to find out more
Places to Keep Cool
Cool places outside the home matter to people. We need to recreate and maintain lost cooling infrastructure that helps to make summer bearable and enjoyable. This includes shady streets, parks and playgrounds, lidos, pools, clean rivers and lakes, and drinking fountains.
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently. Heat adaptation policy must go beyond cooling centres and tree planting. Find out more at Living with Heat: recommendations
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently. Heat adaptation policy must go beyond cooling centres and tree planting. Find out more at Living with Heat: recommendations
Creative methods
Not everyone will be used to talking about heat. Creative methods can help explore the topic in accessible and engaging ways. The Melting Metropolis project has used poetry, photography, drawing and storytelling to understand how heat impacts people’s lives.
Learn more about our creative approaches and what it tells us about heat here: Get inspiration for creating your own activities to help your community think about heat here
Learn more about our creative approaches and what it tells us about heat here: Get inspiration for creating your own activities to help your community think about heat here
Buildings to Keep Cool
‘If there was one shop, maybe, in the building that during heatwaves was air conditioned like a supermarket… you could escape in the extreme heat’ A wide range of public spaces and buildings can offer respite for people during heat. They need to be nearby, accessible to everyone and well publicised.
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently.
Use our community guide to gather evidence about heat and cool in your neighbourhood.
In an Emergency
In the summer of 2022, nearly 3,000 people in the UK died during very hot weather. Rising temperatures are having a greater impact on people’s health and some groups are more at risk than others.
Action: The Red Cross has advice on what to do in a heatwave emergency. Read here
Local authorities
Some local authorities are starting to think about heat. But many focus on outdoor spaces or short-term fixes. Many people remain inside their homes, behind closed doors, where the heat lingers. If we understand heat as something personal and shaped by housing design and daily life, we can respond better. A human-centred approach to heat can improve homes, adapt buildings and support those most at risk.
Action: Use our community guides to gather the evidence needed to lobby your council or housing association
Public Transport
‘Public transport was horrendous. Tubes are boiling… transport has to be assessed to help the health of its users in these horrible heatwaves.’
Action: Lobby transport providers and in the meantime use a transport planning app like Citymapper to find air-conditioned routes in your city.
Is your neighbourhood or home too hot?
Chloe Berry
Created on June 16, 2026
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Transcript
Title 2
Let’s tackle heat, together!
Homes
‘I live high up in a large 1930s block of flats with no ventilation. I can barely make it through the summers without fainting in my own flat.’ Cities trap heat. For many residents, especially those in flats, on higher floors, with limited mobility or low income, overheating is a life-changing problem.
Action: Use our community action guides to think about your home and neighbourhood. Talk to other residents about how they keep cool and share what you learn. Explore this infographic from Shade the UK about what can be done to adapt buildings.
Action: Use our community action guides to think about your home and neighbourhood. Talk to other residents about how they keep cool and share what you learn. Explore this infographic from Shade the UK about what can be done to adapt buildings.
Let's Tackle Heat Together:
https://www.shadetheuk.com
https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/heatwaves-uk
https://www.meltingmetropolis.com
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts
Library
Find out more about our research publications, including histories and geographies of heat and cool across London, New York and Paris.Understanding how our cities have been built, how people tried to stay cool in the past, and why the impact of extreme heat is uneven can help us to better prepare for the future.
Action: Visit https://www.meltingmetropolis.com/resources to find out more
Places to Keep Cool
Cool places outside the home matter to people. We need to recreate and maintain lost cooling infrastructure that helps to make summer bearable and enjoyable. This includes shady streets, parks and playgrounds, lidos, pools, clean rivers and lakes, and drinking fountains.
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently. Heat adaptation policy must go beyond cooling centres and tree planting. Find out more at Living with Heat: recommendations
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently. Heat adaptation policy must go beyond cooling centres and tree planting. Find out more at Living with Heat: recommendations
Creative methods
Not everyone will be used to talking about heat. Creative methods can help explore the topic in accessible and engaging ways. The Melting Metropolis project has used poetry, photography, drawing and storytelling to understand how heat impacts people’s lives.
Learn more about our creative approaches and what it tells us about heat here: Get inspiration for creating your own activities to help your community think about heat here
Learn more about our creative approaches and what it tells us about heat here: Get inspiration for creating your own activities to help your community think about heat here
Buildings to Keep Cool
‘If there was one shop, maybe, in the building that during heatwaves was air conditioned like a supermarket… you could escape in the extreme heat’ A wide range of public spaces and buildings can offer respite for people during heat. They need to be nearby, accessible to everyone and well publicised.
Action: Lobby your local council to think about heat differently.
Use our community guide to gather evidence about heat and cool in your neighbourhood.
In an Emergency
In the summer of 2022, nearly 3,000 people in the UK died during very hot weather. Rising temperatures are having a greater impact on people’s health and some groups are more at risk than others.
Action: The Red Cross has advice on what to do in a heatwave emergency. Read here
Local authorities
Some local authorities are starting to think about heat. But many focus on outdoor spaces or short-term fixes. Many people remain inside their homes, behind closed doors, where the heat lingers. If we understand heat as something personal and shaped by housing design and daily life, we can respond better. A human-centred approach to heat can improve homes, adapt buildings and support those most at risk.
Action: Use our community guides to gather the evidence needed to lobby your council or housing association
Public Transport
‘Public transport was horrendous. Tubes are boiling… transport has to be assessed to help the health of its users in these horrible heatwaves.’
Action: Lobby transport providers and in the meantime use a transport planning app like Citymapper to find air-conditioned routes in your city.