Reports and guides

The 2022 summer survey report
Sweltering Cities, in partnership with Healthy Homes for Renters, conducted the largest ever Australian survey on heat, health and homes. The survey gathered over 2100 responses across almost 700 unique postcodes. The report gives unique insights into how we’re feeling the heat and what people want done about it. View more

Media guide
Too often, the media reporting on heatwaves fails to cover the health and social impacts. This simple guide covers information about heatwaves, suggestions for further sources, and some ‘dos and don’ts’. View more

The 2023 cool safe spaces report
The Cool Safe Spaces report looks at how people are using places like shopping centres and libraries to survive hot days and escape dangerously hot homes. The stories and data in this report come from over 260 survey responses. View more
Resources from other organisations
WSROC’s Turn Down the Heat project
The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) are leading the way in policy development and practical resources for local government and the community. Read more here.
How hot will your city get?
It can be hard to wrap our minds around what a global temperature rise of 1.5-2° will feel like. You can use this tool to see climate analogues of your Australian town or city in future decades under high and low emissions scenarios. Try the tool here.
The Australia Institute’s Heatwatch reports
The Australia Institute has used CSRIO and BoM data to project future temperatures in different Australian regions.and cities. You can see the reports here and read about Western Sydney’s results here.
Arsht-Rock’s Heat Action Platform
The Adrienne Arsht-Rockerfeller Foundation Resilience Centre has assembled an extensive set of policies, real-world examples and tools for cooling cities. Read more here.