Uploaded on 2016-03-04 by jaybee84

NOTE: although I currently live in Bunbury, for the purposes of this exercise I will refer to my former residence of Perth (capital city) for which there is more data. As a sprawling, car centric city, Perth definitely suffers from UHI effect. Provided is a [link to an interactive map][1] which indicates the levels of heat vulnerability across the city. It indicates quite clearly the difference between the urban core and the cooler rural fringes. ![heat map][2] It is instructive to note the difference between a suburb such as Claremont, (light green) and Joondalup (red). While Claremont is closer to the high heat of the urban core it actually enjoys a lower heat vulnerability rating than Joondalup. This could likely be explained by the very different urban design styles of the two neighbourhoods. Claremont is an older neighbourhood built more closely to the European high street model of a compact grid design with walkable urban centre. A majority of the streets are heavily tree lined as shown in the picture. ![Image by Grayden Provis][3] Joondalup is a new neighbourhood built to the American suburban model of winding, cul-de-sac streets with a large shopping mall serving as urban centre. These newer neighbourhoods feature less green infrastructure and are less walkable with essential infrastructure (such as grocery shopping) often only reachable by car. ![Image by Generate Press][4] **Which are the measures you would propose?** The obvious first measure would be a greater focus on tree planting throughout the urban centre. I also believe roof space is massively under utilized and could be better harnessed to mitigate against the UHI effect. Green roofs are not only more attractive than bare concrete, a strong economic argument could also be made for their use, particularly in high density apartment buildings. A great example are the M Central Apartments in Sydney. ![M Central Apartment rooftop][5] **Is UHI effect concerning policy making in your area?** There has been a great recognition of UHI in Perth. As pointed out in the video 4.1, while urban heat may make life more comfortable in colder climates such as Berlin or Moscow, in Perth it has very much the opposite effect. Many local councils have realized there are economic benefits in delivering green infrastructure, with the associated increase in livability leading to greater property prices. One local government has even floated the idea of attaching a [monetary value to trees][6] with property developers charged for every tree they remove. [1]: http://www.mappingvulnerabilityindex.com/home/perthvi [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1457088232305477.jpg [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14570883683857671.jpg [4]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14570885552836359.jpg [5]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/145708913986082.jpg [6]: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/put-a-price-on-every-perth-tree-bayswater-councillor-chris-cornish-20150902-gjds9s.html#ixzz3lh3JUudM