Community of Practice Issue Brief #3
Extreme heat is fast becoming one of the most dangerous urban climate threats — yet it remains under-recognized, underfunded and politically overlooked.
Unlike acute disasters such as floods or storms, heat is insidious. Its impacts are cumulative, often normalized, and difficult to measure in ways that drive immediate action. This creates a fundamental challenge for city leaders: how to justify investment in prevention before the crisis becomes visible.
This Urban Pulse Issue Brief explores how cities can overcome that barrier. Drawing on insights from the Resilient Cities, Reimagining Health Community of Practice, it outlines practical approaches to strengthen the investment case for heat resilience.
The evidence is clear: accessible interventions, from cool roofs to shade infrastructure and early warning systems, can deliver significant economic and health returns. Yet progress depends not only on solutions, but on how they are framed.
Extreme heat can be deadly, but it is predictable, and its effects are preventable.
What cities need now are stronger narratives, clearer economic cases, and the political will to act before impacts escalate. Dive into our latest climate and health issue brief:
