Ventilation, Air, Greenery, Water and Shade
In the middle of a summer of record-breaking heat, just stepping outside is enough to remind us that the world is experiencing rising temperatures due to climate change. Experts project that heat waves like the ones that so many of us have been experiencing will become more frequent, long-lasting and deadly.
As temperatures rise, so too will our need for cooling. Air conditioning is predicted to double greenhouse emissions by 2050, and the urban heat island effect — when pavement and buildings retain heat — is only making people that live in cities more vulnerable.
But cities across Latin America, Europe and Asia are creating new routes ahead. As RTBC has reported, Medellín is getting cooler thanks to “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, Stuttgart is cooling itself with “ventilation corridors” from its chilly mountains and Tel Aviv’s solar-powered structure, LumiWave, provides shade in the day and light at night.
