Keeping vulnerable communities cool when the heat is on
After the Met Office confirmed summer 2025 was the hottest on record, when the world warms up, how we can give communities access to affordable, clean cooling?
London South Bank University (LSBU) has won funding to address this critical challenge of the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable groups.
The Community Cooling Hubs research project, led by Dr Catarina Marques and Kristina Roszynski, which has received ESPRC Reef-UKC Seed funding, will work with local communities to identify public buildings, such as. schools and community centres, with specific characteristics to be comfortable places in extreme heat.The team will work with Community Energy Newham, a local energy group, supported by Repowering London.
According to the Interim Climate Resilience Report for London, 2023, the capital could experience multiple 45°C days in the foreseeable future and the London Borough of Newham is the second most at-risk area to extreme heat in the UK.
Affordability is a key concern.
“Those from marginalised communities, living in deprived areas are disproportionately affected by extreme heat,” said Kristina Roszynski, Director of LSBU’s GreenSCIES Centre of Excellence. “Typically, the most vulnerable are also the least able to invest in low-carbon cooling technologies in their homes.
“Our research will focus on a communal approach to provide affordable clean cooling for everyone through use of existing community buildings. A key objective is to develop a co-design methodology in collaboration with our partners.”
The researchers will produce guidance for local authorities to incentivise adopting passive design and renewable-powered cooling strategies at a neighbourhood scale.
Professor Chris Harty, Dean of the College of Technology and Environment, said "This project presents a great opportunity for the College and LSBU to support the local community and the most vulnerable people within it, during periods of extreme heat. Our commitment to our local community and our unique vocational knowledge enables us to provide an important contribution for society as a civic university."