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How are our cities going to look in a rapidly heating world? It won’t be long before 50C will be normal

(The Guardian, 15 Jun 2021) century ago the British critic and crime writer GK Chesterton declared that crime fiction is the poetry of the city. Chesterton’s point was that the city is more attuned to the poetry of contemporary life than the country, but his observation also hit upon something no less important, which is that the structures that shape social and economic life are visible in their concentrated forms in the urban environment.

This is especially true when it comes to the impacts of global heating. As our cities get hotter the inequities embedded in them are intensifying rapidly. A 45C day in Sydney’s inner city isn’t fun, but residents of the affluent suburbs close to the centre tend to live in well-appointed, air-conditioned houses and apartments, as well as enjoying easy access to beaches, parks, pools and libraries where they can find refuge from the heat.

But a 45C day in the inner city is likely to be a 47C or a 48C day in the outer west, and lower levels of socioeconomic advantage mean these even more extreme temperatures are often being endured in lower-quality houses, with less effective ventilation and insulation. Greater dependence upon rental accommodation and social housing also means less control over the amenities available: air-conditioning is often only provided if a landlord agrees to install it. And even where air-conditioning is available, the expense of running it is prohibitive for many people.

Nor do residents in outer suburbs enjoy the same access to community facilities as their well-heeled neighbours to the east; in their absence they are often thrown back on other, less welcoming options when they need to shelter from the heat.

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The Guardian, 15 Jun 2021: How are our cities going to look in a rapidly heating world? It won’t be long before 50C will be normal