New Resource by Institute Researchers Provides Advice on How to Prepare for Heat
A new resource developed by the Cooling the Commons research team will help low-income communities prepare for extreme heat and stay cool in summer.
The pamphlet (opens in a new window)(PDF, 7.55MB) provides simple, low-cost and practical tips on topics such as how to use shade and natural ventilation to keep the home at a comfortable temperature, the role of insulation and materials in keeping spaces cool, and the importance of being able to stay connected with community and emergency services on hot days.
The tips are based on research from the Cooling the Commons (opens in a new window) research project which investigated how western Sydney residents keep cool during the hottest parts of the year and how they would like to see their living environments modified to improve wellbeing in a climate changing world. Research is ongoing, with the current phase developing a pattern book that will guide better urban design in western Sydney in partnership with Landcom.
The Climate Risk? Climate Ready! pamphlet is authored by Associate Professor Abby Mellick Lopes, Associate Professor Louise Crabtree and Dr Emma Power.
The research team includes Professor Katherine Gibson, Dr Stephen Healy, Vanicka Arora, Emeritus Professor Helen Armstrong (QUT) and Professor Cameron Tonkinwise (UTS).
More on the research:
- Cooling the Commons pilot research report (opens in a new window)(PDF, 2.44MB)
- 'Infrastructures of care: opening up “home” as commons in a hot city' (opens in a new window), Human Ecology Review.
- 'Keeping the city cool isn’t just about tree cover – it calls for a commons-based climate response' (opens in a new window), The Conversation.
Posted: 10 January 2020.
