Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heatwaves present a significant health risk and the hazard is likely to escalate with the increased future temperatures presently predicted by climate change models. The impact of heatwaves is often felt strongest in towns and cities...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2011-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Health Geographics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/10/1/42 |
| _version_ | 1831748494003535872 |
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| author | Thornes John E Chapman Lee Tomlinson Charlie J Baker Christopher J |
| author_facet | Thornes John E Chapman Lee Tomlinson Charlie J Baker Christopher J |
| author_sort | Thornes John E |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heatwaves present a significant health risk and the hazard is likely to escalate with the increased future temperatures presently predicted by climate change models. The impact of heatwaves is often felt strongest in towns and cities where populations are concentrated and where the climate is often unintentionally modified to produce an urban heat island effect; where urban areas can be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The purpose of this interdisciplinary study is to integrate remotely sensed urban heat island data alongside commercial social segmentation data via a spatial risk assessment methodology in order to highlight potential heat health risk areas and build the foundations for a climate change risk assessment. This paper uses the city of Birmingham, UK as a case study area.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When looking at vulnerable sections of the population, the analysis identifies a concentration of "very high" risk areas within the city centre, and a number of pockets of "high risk" areas scattered throughout the conurbation. Further analysis looks at household level data which yields a complicated picture with a considerable range of vulnerabilities at a neighbourhood scale.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results illustrate that a concentration of "very high" risk people live within the urban heat island, and this should be taken into account by urban planners and city centre environmental managers when considering climate change adaptation strategies or heatwave alert schemes. The methodology has been designed to be transparent and to make use of powerful and readily available datasets so that it can be easily replicated in other urban areas.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T21:52:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d11ef7001b9d419b91ecb41bc9f3e4ff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1476-072X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T21:52:42Z |
| publishDate | 2011-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Health Geographics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d11ef7001b9d419b91ecb41bc9f3e4ff2022-12-21T18:49:03ZengBMCInternational Journal of Health Geographics1476-072X2011-06-011014210.1186/1476-072X-10-42Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UKThornes John EChapman LeeTomlinson Charlie JBaker Christopher J<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heatwaves present a significant health risk and the hazard is likely to escalate with the increased future temperatures presently predicted by climate change models. The impact of heatwaves is often felt strongest in towns and cities where populations are concentrated and where the climate is often unintentionally modified to produce an urban heat island effect; where urban areas can be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. The purpose of this interdisciplinary study is to integrate remotely sensed urban heat island data alongside commercial social segmentation data via a spatial risk assessment methodology in order to highlight potential heat health risk areas and build the foundations for a climate change risk assessment. This paper uses the city of Birmingham, UK as a case study area.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When looking at vulnerable sections of the population, the analysis identifies a concentration of "very high" risk areas within the city centre, and a number of pockets of "high risk" areas scattered throughout the conurbation. Further analysis looks at household level data which yields a complicated picture with a considerable range of vulnerabilities at a neighbourhood scale.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results illustrate that a concentration of "very high" risk people live within the urban heat island, and this should be taken into account by urban planners and city centre environmental managers when considering climate change adaptation strategies or heatwave alert schemes. The methodology has been designed to be transparent and to make use of powerful and readily available datasets so that it can be easily replicated in other urban areas.</p>http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/10/1/42Urban Heat IslandUHIBirminghamExperianHeat RiskSpatial Risk AssessmentGISRemote SensingMODIS |
| spellingShingle | Thornes John E Chapman Lee Tomlinson Charlie J Baker Christopher J Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK International Journal of Health Geographics Urban Heat Island UHI Birmingham Experian Heat Risk Spatial Risk Assessment GIS Remote Sensing MODIS |
| title | Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK |
| title_full | Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK |
| title_fullStr | Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK |
| title_full_unstemmed | Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK |
| title_short | Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK |
| title_sort | including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies a case study for birmingham uk |
| topic | Urban Heat Island UHI Birmingham Experian Heat Risk Spatial Risk Assessment GIS Remote Sensing MODIS |
| url | http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/10/1/42 |
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