Liveable cities

Heatwaves are our deadliest environmental disaster. Yet we’re still building dangerously hot homes and infrastructure that will buckle during heatwaves.

Our planning regulations don’t take into account the environmental, health or social costs of building. Our campaign is to make sure that the buildings, homes and infrastructure we’re building now meet two goals: 

  • Are safe to live in in our changing climate and future extreme heat
  • Help us get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (at the latest)

Net zero carbon emission cities

The buildings and infrastructure built now need to fit into Australia’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions target. This will reduce carbon emissions, give workers more confidence in long term plans and future-proof our suburbs. New homes should be energy efficient and be ready for renewable electricity. Common sense energy efficiency measures like high quality insulation, eaves, light roofs and having enough room for trees in new suburbs are all affordable and effective. Making sure that our suburbs have high quality public and active transport networks will reduce transport related carbon emissions

Transitioning our energy system away from fossil fuels will decarbonise the supply side of our energy system, but we also need to design and build our cities to facilitate decarbonisation on the demand side.

Safe cities in a warming climate

The type of cities we build now will define the number of people who die in the deadly heatwave of our future. The sprawling urban heat island developments spreading around our cities have few trees, lots of concrete and dark surfaces to attract the heat. Our hottest suburbs already reach 50° on the ground in summer and in the coming decades we will experience summer heatwaves where it is dangerous to leave the house. We cannot build enough heat shelters for the millions of people who will be impacted by deadly heatwaves, so we need to make our homes safer. 

Practically, what this looks like is updating the climate benchmarks for measures like the BASIX standards to be set according to the projected future climate, not historical climate data.

In 2020 Waverley Council released a report saying that homes built under current standards would be unliveable without mechanical cooling by 2070. 

For somewhere like Western Sydney, it would mean people could feel confident when they’re buying a new home that it will be safer in environmental disasters. Infrastructure like public transport would be more reliable in the future and during disasters.

People will see the practical and local transformation of our cities for sustainability and liveability. Our air will be cleaner and our workplaces will be safer. We will have better physical and mental health. 

Some of the measures required are easy (no more black roofs in hot suburbs) and some are hard (deciding what areas may be unsafe to live in). However, the only guarantee is that not acting will result in higher emissions, more climate catastrophe and unsafe homes and suburbs.

Local campaigns

Did you know that synthetic turf can increase ground surface temperatures by 80-90% compared to natural grass? Plastic grass exacerbates the urban heat island effect by absorbing heat, warming air temperatures, and hardening soil. As temperatures rise in our cities, urban heat islands will be even more dangerous.

You can read more information about the issues with fake grass here.

Victorians across the state have told us that they don’t want any more fake grass installed in schools or public parks. We’ve heard stories of burning hot parks and seen photos of sweltering sports fields reaching over 60°.

It’s time to end the use of fake plastic grass in public spaces across our suburbs. We need to take action to reduce the urban heat island effect and green our public spaces to reduce heat.  

Help us tackle the issue of fake plastic grass by signing this petition, and letting us know where the fake grass is in your neighbourhood.

Latest news

  • Second renters meeting sets campaign priorities for heatwave safe homes

    Last night, activists and supporters from across Victoria came together to decide on specific asks and tactics to win the Heatwave Safe Rentals campaign. Everyone who attended the meeting brought different perspectives to the table. One supporter stressed the urgency of minor rental fixes as a practical and immediate goal, while another supporter emphasised the…


  • Why we love shade

    Why we love shade

    Shade plays an important role in minimising the Urban Heat Island Effect and reducing heat related diseases. Higher tree cover means lower temperatures on the ground on hot days, as well as sun protection for people as we walk We believe that shade needs to be a much higher priority when planning our new developments…


  • Living in a rental home without cooling: Madeline’s story

    Living in a rental home without cooling: Madeline’s story

    No-one should have to live in a dangerously hot home, but this is the reality for Madeline Cooper, a renter living in Melbourne’s inner city. She lives with long Covid, which is challenging enough, but for Madeline, the extreme summer heat makes her symptoms worse. Her rental home is not designed to cope with scorching…


  • In the hottest suburbs in Sydney 70% of bus stops have no shelter or shade

    In the hottest suburbs in Sydney 70% of bus stops have no shelter or shade

    Hundreds of people have submitted information about their local bus stops through our form or shared their bus stop with us via email or social media.   Of the 596 bus stops in our first sample, we found that 70% of stops had no shade, no shelter and no seat!


  • Community meets in Penrith to talk Heatwaves, Health and Hot Homes

    Community meets in Penrith to talk Heatwaves, Health and Hot Homes

    This summer, rising temperatures and cost of living have put pressure on people across Western Sydney. On March 9th Sweltering Cities hosted the Heatwaves, Health and Hot Homes community forum in Penrith at Thornton Community Centre. We brought community members together to hear from experts and share ideas for cooler, more equitable suburbs. 60 people…


%d bloggers like this: