Project lead: Simon Gosling

We used data from satellites in space to understand how temperatures vary across Nottingham. We also obtained data on green space and socio-economic characteristics across the city to help us understand the factors that can make populations vulnerable to heat. We created 3D maps on physical display models of the city. Other maps could be explored by wearing Virtual Reality headsets, which allows users to flyover and zoom-in to different parts of Nottingham. The 3D maps combined climate data with socio-economic and environment data (e.g. green space) to show how vulnerability to heat varies across Nottingham. The maps helped to highlight which parts of the city are hottest as well as where populations are more vulnerable to heat, for example because there is a higher proportion of people with long-term illnesses. The maps also helped with identifying areas where the urban landscape and population is better equipped to adapt to extreme heat, for example areas where there is a lot of green space. We invited businesses, charities and local government to a half-day workshop in the City as Lab space at University of Nottingham, to interact with the 3D maps. The displays sparked numerous deep-dive conversations between workshop attendees on the options and trade-offs associated with managing urban extreme heat. The maps also provided an early indication of areas where interventions might be targeted to reduce adverse impacts of heat on population health and well-being.