The 50-degree city: Designing urban life for extreme heat

Executive summary:

Extreme heat is a growing challenge for the future of cities, affecting public health, infrastructure performance, economic activity and quality of life. As urban populations grow and climate pressures intensify, cities will need to build resilience to cope with more frequent and prolonged periods of heat. Those that cannot maintain reliable infrastructure, comfortable public spaces and safe working environments, risk becoming less attractive places to live, work and invest. 

The challenge is particularly acute across the Middle East, where temperatures are rising at almost twice the global average and several countries in the region already experience summer temperatures exceeding 50°C, placing increasing pressure on energy systems, water resources, public health and outdoor workers.¹

Around the world, cities are responding in different ways by redesigning their urban environments to reduce heat exposure through active and passive measures, using technology and data to anticipate heat rather than react to it, and improving governance to coordinate activities and drive decision-making across multiple stakeholders.

This paper explores how extreme heat is reshaping urban development across the Middle East and how cities can respond. Drawing on leading practices from cities around the world, it sets out a practical approach for building long-term heat resilience while supporting continued growth and quality of life.

From heat risk to resilience: five actions for cities

Building heat resilience requires coordinated action across planning, infrastructure, communities and investment. The report identifies five actions to help cities move from understanding their exposure to implementing and adapting long-term responses:

1. Assess heat exposure and risk

Build a clear evidence base around where heat accumulates, who is exposed and which urban systems are most vulnerable. 

2. Identify vulnerable communities

Understand where heat exposure overlaps with factors such as age, health, income, housing and access to cooling. 

3. Explore heat resilience solutions

Combine passive and active cooling measures suited to local climate conditions, urban form and institutional capacity. 

4. Build financial capacity

Quantify the costs of inaction, demonstrate the wider benefits of adaptation and identify mechanisms to finance implementation. 

5. Monitor and adapt Heat Action Plans

Use Heat Action Plans to coordinate action, establish accountability and evolve responses as risks and local conditions change.

The question facing city leaders is how quickly they can embed heat resilience into the core of urban development.