These cities are better at enduring extreme heat. Here's what they're doing different

The climate crisis is making extreme heat waves more frequent. Cities can ease them with thoughtful design.

This means hundreds of millions of people living in urban areas are again desperately trying to stay cool. The climate crisis is making extreme heat more frequent and last longer — but cities, without thoughtful design, can make life even hotter.

Air conditioners might keep the indoors cool, but they only add to heat outdoors. And in most cases, they are adding to the climate crisis by increasing planet-warming emissions. Public transportation may be unbearable on a hot day, but driving a car that runs on gas instead just worsens traffic, also adding to heat and emissions. A lack of trees means a lack of shade, and buildings made of dark materials bring hotter interiors, which means more air conditioning.