Research shows how cities can adapt to climate challenges

Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University are exploring how the design and management of cities can influence people's vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

Professor Rohinton Emmanuel, an expert in urban climate and the urban heat island effect, has contributed to two international research projects examining how cities can respond to different climate challenges – from weather-related energy pressures in Finland to extreme heat in tropical regions.

Professor Emmanuel recently worked with researchers in Finland on a project examining how weather conditions affect energy demand and vulnerability across the city of Joensuu.

Led by Professor Jouni Pykäläinen of the University of Eastern Finland and doctoral researcher Shammi Keya, the project brought together expertise from the University of Eastern Finland, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, the City of Joensuu and Glasgow Caledonian University.

The team developed a Weather Vulnerability Index, a tool that combines information about buildings and the wider urban environment with factors such as temperature, sunlight, wind, vegetation and proximity to water.

By analysing these factors together, the index can identify neighbourhoods that may be more vulnerable to weather-related challenges and higher energy demands.

Using building data provided by the City of Joensuu alongside publicly available environmental information, researchers created a demonstration tool called EvaGrid. The platform allows users to adjust the importance of different factors and see how vulnerability changes across the city.

The researchers believe the tool could help decision-makers identify where improvements, such as better building insulation or investment in green spaces, could have the greatest impact.

The study was developed in partnership with the City of Joensuu over a period of three years and has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The Finnish project forms part of Professor Emmanuel's wider research into the relationship between climate and the built environment.

In a separate study published in the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, he examined how cities in tropical climates can better respond to extreme heat.

The research argues that heat should not be viewed solely as an emergency issue, but as a day-to-day challenge that city planners and policymakers need to address.

Professor Emmanuel warns that relying primarily on air conditioning is not a sustainable long-term solution.

He said: “Extreme heat is here to stay in the tropics, particularly in urban areas. Relying mainly on air conditioning is not enough because it focuses on keeping individual buildings cool rather than making the wider urban environment more comfortable.

“We therefore need a different conceptualisation of outdoor heat.”

He said his research highlights the importance of measures such as increasing shade, planting more trees, improving public spaces and creating better links between buildings and outdoor environments. It also explores how heat exposure can vary between communities and contribute to wider inequalities.

Professor Emmanuel added: “Although the studies focus on very different climates, they share an interest in how conditions within cities can create different levels of vulnerability for the people who live there.

“In Joensuu, the research helps identify neighbourhoods that may face greater weather-related energy pressures. In tropical cities, it explores how urban design can influence people's exposure to extreme heat.

“The research reflects Glasgow Caledonian University's wider focus on improving lives through research that addresses practical challenges faced by communities. It also demonstrates the value of combining expertise in climate, buildings and urban environments to understand how cities can become more resilient as the climate changes.”

Researchers in Joensuu are now exploring how the weather vulnerability model could be enhanced using real-time data. This would allow decision-makers to assess vulnerability at specific moments, such as during a heatwave or periods of extreme winter cold.