Heat Resilience Program

Heat is Australia’s deadliest natural hazard, and impacts 100% of the population of Greater Sydney every summer.

 

Heat impacts are particularly pronounced in Western Sydney, due to a combination of climate change, local geography, and rapid urbanisation – where greening makes way for new housing developments.

 

Heat causes major liveability and resilience problems with critical impacts for human health, infrastructure, emergency services and the natural environment (Figure 1).

 

Infographic outlining heat impacts in Greater Sydney. Half of Sydney's urban tree species are vulnerable to extreme heat. Mass deaths of flying foxes and birds occur at temperatures over 42 degrees. Energy use triples on days 35 degrees and hotter impacting cost of living. 50% rise in domestic violence when temperatures rise from 20 to 40 degrees. 13 percent increase in mortality. $6.8 billion in annual costs to the Western Sydney economy. Umeasured economic impacts due to business disruption e.g. transport, e-payment and network connectivity disruption).

Figure 1. Infographic outlining impacts of heat in Greater Sydney (Reprinted from page 25 of Heat Smart City Plan).

 

The impacts of heat are already being felt across Sydney. We urgently need to respond with strategies that minimise the impacts of intense shocks such as heatwaves and the ongoing stress of frequent hot and very hot weather.

 

It is critical that we improve our region’s resilience to urban and extreme heat. A resilience approach involves not only reducing urban heat, but also helping people adapt to a changing climate, and being prepared to respond in extreme events.

 

 

Heat Resilience Program initatives:

 

Established with the launch of the Turn Down the Heat Strategy (2018), WSROC's heat resilience program has made significant contributions to the understanding and management of heat risk in Western Sydney, and Australia more broadly.

 

An overview of key program outputs is provided below. These initiatives could not have been delivered without financial and in-kind collaboration with partners from across federal, state and local government, as well as industry, research and not-for-profit sectors. 

 

Strategies and governance:

 

◼ Heat Smart City Plan (2025 - 2030)

The Heat Smart City Plan is a world-leading approach to ensure people living in Greater Sydney can survive and thrive in a warming climate and during extreme heat. The Heat Smart City Plan was developed under the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce and outlines 40 recommendations for building a heat-resilient city.

 

◼ Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce (2023 – 2024)

Despite the far-reaching impacts of heat, Sydney has no coordinated arrangements in place to measure, mitigate or manage heat impacts. This program seeks to address this gap, bringing together state, local, industry and community stakeholders towards a long-term vision where people living in Greater Sydney can survive and thrive in a warming climate and during extreme heat events.

 

◼ Turn Down The Heat Strategy (2018 - 2023)

Turn Down the Heat is a WSROC-led initiative that takes a collaborative, multi-sector approach to building a cooler, more resilient future for Western Sydney.

 

 

Urban planning and building design:

 

◼ Cool Suburbs (2020 – 2024)

A rating and assessment tool for building heat resilience in urban planning and development. Supported by an expert science panel who synthesised urban heat science in an easy-to-use platform. Tested with industry. The Tool is free to download and use.

 

◼ Future Proofing Residential Development (2022)

The study reviews the performance of NSW BASIX-compliant homes and apartments under future climate scenarios in Greater Western Sydney. Special attention is given to thermal performance in heatwave and no-energy scenarios.

 

◼ Urban Heat Planning Toolkit (2020 – 2021)

Developed to help local government strengthen their planning provisions to reduce the impacts of heat. The Toolkit outlines a clear evidence base to support a resilience approach to addressing heat and provides recommendations for other parts of the planning system (state and national) to be addressed.

 

 

Heatwave management and community resilience:

 

◼ Heatwave Management Guide (2024)

Guidance to support local government develop locally tailored approaches to heatwave management, informed by evidence and best practice examples.

 

◼ Heat Smart Organisations Toolkit (2022)

A guide for building heatwave preparedness in local community organisations. Delivered in partnership with councils, local health districts, community organisations and the Australian Red Cross.

 

◼ Heat Smart community resources (2021)

Resources to support community resilience building around heatwaves and extreme heat (Pamphlets, videos and social media tiles available in 10 languages). Delivered in partnership with councils, local health districts, community organisations and the Australian Red Cross.

 

◼ Heat Smart Resilience Framework (2021)

A gap analysis of heatwave management practice was conducted including a literature review, interviews, and a community survey. The results were further refined through consultation with over 500 regional stakeholders from across levels of government, industry, academia and community sectors. The final Heat Smart Resilience Framework outlines 25 recommendations for improving heatwave management in Western Sydney.

 

 

Many other initiatives from our partner organisations can be found on our resources page.

 

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WSROC has partnered with Dr Sebastian Pfautsch from Western Sydney University to develop a 25-hour micro-credential called Basics of Urban Cooling. Click here to learn more