10
A. Oliveira et al.
A critical component of urban life is mobility. Therefore, a form of improving the
resilience of city dwellers is to place active and passive means of cooling in public
transport.
Increasing urban green area (using autochthonous species whenever possible)
improves thermal comfort and can be very beneficial to reduce the impacts of other
threats which are themselves intensified by high temperatures, such as urban atmospheric pollution. Structurally, green areas can be deployed as a network of urban
ecological corridors, fostering sports practice such as running and cycling, and with
other positive side effects (e.g. stimulating associated commercial activities such as
cafeterias and bike renting shops).
It is essential to provide shading areas. This can be achieved using vegetation or
artificial materials when the former is not possible, such as in historical, densely built
street networks. For instance, fabric street covers can be deployed during summertime, a solution already implemented in some Portuguese cities such as Águeda and
Loulé, the latter in the Algarve.
The introduction of artificial structures to promote the presence of water in public
space is also recommended to decrease air temperature, albeit within a limited effective range. To improve cooling efficiency and avoid the establishment of vector-borne
diseases, precautions should be taken to guarantee water movement. For instance,
the presence of water can be implemented in the form of an urban stream network,
if possible, by mimicking natural hydrological systems.
References
Basu R, Samet J (2002) Relation between elevated ambient temperature and mortality: a review of
the epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiol Rev 24:190–202
Dias LF, Aparício B, Veiga-Pires C et al (2019) Plano intermunicipal de adaptação às alterações
climáticas do Algarve, CI-AMAL (PIAAC-AMAL). Faro, Portugal
EASAC (2019) The imperative of climate action to protect human health in Europe
Guerreiro SB, Dawson RJ, Kilsby C et al (2018) Future heat-waves, droughts and floods in 571
European cities. Environ Res Lett 13:34009
IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to
the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge, United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
Loughnan M, Nicholls N, Tapper NJ (2012) Mapping heat health risks in urban areas. Int J Popul
Res 2020:1–12
Nogueira P, Paixão E (2008) Models for mortality associated with heatwaves: update of the
Portuguese heat health warning system. Int J Climatol 28:545–562
Nogueira PJ, Machado A, Rodrigues E et al (2010) The new automated daily mortality surveillance
system in Portugal. Eurosurveillance 15:pii=19529
Oliveira A, Dias LF, Aparício B (2019) Relatório Setor: Saúde Humana: Vulnerabilidades Atuais e
Futuras. Faro, Portugal
Sanderson M, Arbuthnott K, Kovats S et al (2017) The use of climate information to estimate future
mortality from high ambient temperature: a systematic literature review. PLoS ONE 12:e0180369
Smith KR, Woodward A, Campbell-Lendrum D et al (2014) Human health: impacts, adaptation, and
co-benefits. In: Climate change 2014: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part A: global and
A. Oliveira et al.
A critical component of urban life is mobility. Therefore, a form of improving the
resilience of city dwellers is to place active and passive means of cooling in public
transport.
Increasing urban green area (using autochthonous species whenever possible)
improves thermal comfort and can be very beneficial to reduce the impacts of other
threats which are themselves intensified by high temperatures, such as urban atmospheric pollution. Structurally, green areas can be deployed as a network of urban
ecological corridors, fostering sports practice such as running and cycling, and with
other positive side effects (e.g. stimulating associated commercial activities such as
cafeterias and bike renting shops).
It is essential to provide shading areas. This can be achieved using vegetation or
artificial materials when the former is not possible, such as in historical, densely built
street networks. For instance, fabric street covers can be deployed during summertime, a solution already implemented in some Portuguese cities such as Águeda and
Loulé, the latter in the Algarve.
The introduction of artificial structures to promote the presence of water in public
space is also recommended to decrease air temperature, albeit within a limited effective range. To improve cooling efficiency and avoid the establishment of vector-borne
diseases, precautions should be taken to guarantee water movement. For instance,
the presence of water can be implemented in the form of an urban stream network,
if possible, by mimicking natural hydrological systems.
References
Basu R, Samet J (2002) Relation between elevated ambient temperature and mortality: a review of
the epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiol Rev 24:190–202
Dias LF, Aparício B, Veiga-Pires C et al (2019) Plano intermunicipal de adaptação às alterações
climáticas do Algarve, CI-AMAL (PIAAC-AMAL). Faro, Portugal
EASAC (2019) The imperative of climate action to protect human health in Europe
Guerreiro SB, Dawson RJ, Kilsby C et al (2018) Future heat-waves, droughts and floods in 571
European cities. Environ Res Lett 13:34009
IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to
the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge, United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
Loughnan M, Nicholls N, Tapper NJ (2012) Mapping heat health risks in urban areas. Int J Popul
Res 2020:1–12
Nogueira P, Paixão E (2008) Models for mortality associated with heatwaves: update of the
Portuguese heat health warning system. Int J Climatol 28:545–562
Nogueira PJ, Machado A, Rodrigues E et al (2010) The new automated daily mortality surveillance
system in Portugal. Eurosurveillance 15:pii=19529
Oliveira A, Dias LF, Aparício B (2019) Relatório Setor: Saúde Humana: Vulnerabilidades Atuais e
Futuras. Faro, Portugal
Sanderson M, Arbuthnott K, Kovats S et al (2017) The use of climate information to estimate future
mortality from high ambient temperature: a systematic literature review. PLoS ONE 12:e0180369
Smith KR, Woodward A, Campbell-Lendrum D et al (2014) Human health: impacts, adaptation, and
co-benefits. In: Climate change 2014: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part A: global and