As our cities get hotter, rebuilding whole suburbs better suited to the heat is not an option. Instead, we can draw from the best examples of how to adapt neighbourhoods and behaviours.
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Articles on Cooling
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Net zero energy buildings produce at least as much energy as they use. Designing whole net zero campuses and communities takes the energy and climate benefits to a higher level.
Climate change is making extreme weather events, both hot and cold, more frequent across the Great Lakes region. Weatherizing low-income residents' homes is an important way to prepare.
Half-a-dozen strategies are effective for cooling urban areas. Used in combination, these strategies can drop the temperature even more.
As our planet warms, the number of air-conditioning units worldwide is expected to triple by 2050 – yet their use drives climate change. So how can we break the cycle?
Hot weather kills more Americans yearly on average than floods, tornadoes or hurricanes. Three scholars explain how cities can prepare and help residents stay cool.
Australian houses are not designed and built for the realities of climate change
Everyone has a different ideal temperature at any given time. It could be more comfortable to monitor people's body temperatures and adjust heating and cooling in response.
Domestic cats spend a quarter of their waking hours grooming. But that tongue action on the fur does more than keep fur clean – it also helps keep a cat cool.
Dairy cows are sensitive to heat, so farmers cool them down with sprinklers and fans. Researchers are designing better, more efficient systems to keep cows comfortable through hot California summers.
Extreme heat divides people from the environment and from each other. So with the rapid densification of our cities, what kind of legacies are we building for future generations?
Our cities are getting hotter. Luckily, as a built environment, we can actually do something about it.
Before you spend up on heating and cooling, here are a few simple retrofits to try first.
As the weather heats up, Australian households won’t just be cranking up the air conditioning for themselves. Some households will also be turning it on for their dogs or cats.
Bigger houses take more energy to build them, and use more energy.
From solar canopies to wind towers, Masdar City provides a living laboratory for the latest sustainable design and technology.
Sweating it out through hot summer nights? Here are some tips when you're looking for something to cool you down.
If you work in an office, chances are you or the person sitting next to you has grumbled about it being too hot or cold.
Heat cost Australia nearly A$7 billion in 2014, which is bad news given climate forecasts of hotter and more frequent heatwaves.
Making and keeping things cold is one of the big challenges of the next decade.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Design Studies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University
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Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Associate Professor in Construction and Environmental Assessment, The University of Melbourne
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André Stephan is a Friend of The Conversation.
Assistant Professor in Architectural Engineering, Université catholique de Louvain
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Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Monash University, Monash University
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Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Post-doctoral researcher, the Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University
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Energy Advisor, formerly, The University of Melbourne
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Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Associate professor, Charles Darwin University
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Graduate Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, UNSW
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Professor and Head of School, Anatomy Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia
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Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor, School of Physiology; Director, Brain Function Research Group, University of the Witwatersrand
