Planners urged to do the cool thing and green their cities

Our cities are getting hotter, more crowded and noisier. Climate change is bringing more heatwaves, placing pressure on human health, urban amenity, productivity and infrastructure.

Urban residents naturally want to stay cool. Air conditioning is the usual choice, but it can be expensive to run. Air conditioning also adds carbon pollution, creates noise and can make outdoor spaces hotter.

So what else can we do to manage increasing urban heat? And who has the ability to act?

Read this piece by a lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning at Griffith University, Tony Matthews, and an Associate Professor of Environmental Planning, also at Griffith University, Jason Byrne on The Conversation,  -  “If planners understand it’s cool to green cities, what’s stopping them?”