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Heat Island

An area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding (e.g. where urban air and surface temperatures are higher than nearby rural areas). For example, central London can be up to 7°C warmer than the surrounding countryside, particularly at night. (Source: Environment Agency) During development, the effects of heat islands can be reduced in several ways, including:

• installing cool or vegetated green roofs
• planting trees and vegetation
• switching to cool paving materials (e.g. light coloured or porous materials)

Related terms:

• Air Quality
• Biodiversity
• Brownfield
• Conservation
• Greenbelt
• Impact Assessment
• Regeneration
• Stakeholders
• Sustainability Appraisal (SA)
• Sustainable development
• Sustainable remediation
• Sustainable Transport Planning