Sustainable Urban Design and Climate

WHAT CITY CLIMATES DO TO PEOPLE

Many Australian climates are quite warm: the additional warming of the urban heat island effect can have adverse effects on health, on energy use and even, it seems, on people's behavior. During hot weather, the city's warmer nights can delay overnight recovery from heat stress. As a result, death rates in cities show a peak during heatwaves. There is evidence, mostly from the USA, that aggressive behaviour (street offences, riots) in cities increases during hot weather. Recent Australian studies show similar links between offensive behavior and hot weather. Urban warming affects the city's energy use, reducing the demand for winter space-heating, but increasing the energy needed for cooling. At times, flash floods, caused by greater run off from the city's paved surfaces, result in big financial losses and can be life-threatening.

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