SINGAPORE has been ranked 19th among 30 global cities for its preparedness to deal with extreme urban heat, said global research publication Impacts, produced by Savills.
The Savills Heat Resilience Index, published on Friday (Jul 26), assesses 30 global cities based on their risk of extreme heat and resilience to it. It takes into account a city’s record temperature high, the difference between that and its average summer high, and the number of days it experienced temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (deg C) in 2023.
The publication sets these data against the city’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) scorecard under the Savills’ Resilient Cities ESG Score, which tracks a city’s environmental practices, social policies and governance.
Cities that scored higher in the ranking should be better prepared to deal with the physical risks of extreme heat and the impact on their inhabitants, said Savills.
The index showed that half the top 10 cities are in Europe. “But even these cities face the risk of heatwaves in places where buildings are not designed for extreme temperatures,” said Savills.
It noted that even for cities that are more adaptable to hot weather – through the use of air-conditioning – the access to this and other heat-mitigating measures could be limited by social inequality.
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Helsinki, Copenhagen and Stockholm took the top three spots among cities best-prepared to handle extreme urban heat. Their rankings were helped by their having recorded extreme temperatures, with days at over 30 deg C, and progressive ESG policies to mitigate the effects of extreme weather on their populations.
Besides Singapore, other major cities in the Asia-Pacific among the top 20 were Tokyo (4th position), Hong Kong (10th), Seoul (11th) and Sydney (17th).
Paul Tostevin, director of world research at Savills, said that owners of real estate assets face two types of heat risks: One is transitional risk, under which owners ensure that assets adapted to manage climate change and energy use align with future legislation; the other is physical risk, when asset owners need to ensure a higher level of structural resilience against excessive heat that can physically damage building materials.
“Ignoring either may lead to reduced values, and at worst, stranded assets,” he warned.
Savills Earth’s director Chris Cummings said that the authorities should take urban heat into consideration when planning for large regeneration schemes. For example, densification can intensify urban heat and affect local communities.
He pointed out that higher land values facing parks and water bodies often result in a concentration of taller buildings, which can create a “wall” effect, hindering the dissipation of cooler air deeper into the urban environment.
The solution lies in having a mix of building heights and permeability in the streetscape, he added.
