All over the world, temperatures in urban areas are rocketing. What can we do? Axe air-con, whitewash roofs, unleash buried rivers – and try to be a bit more like Norwich
With temperatures set to hit 37C (98.6F) in the UK next week, and heatwaves only likely to become more frequent, it might be useful to see how other sun-scorched regions have adapted their cities to cope.
On a trip to Dubai a few years ago, I was shown a new outdoor shopping street that had apparently been carefully tuned to the desert climate. It was presented as a novel concept for this indoor shopping mall-addicted nation, designed in the manner of a pedestrian precinct familiar to those in less arid climes. A merciful breeze wafted along the pavement, and I wondered what clever environmental design allowed the street to feel so much cooler than the rest of the sweltering city.
