How Singapore Uses Science to Stay Cool – Bloomberg Quicktake
Climate Change, Energy & Pollution Smart Cities VideoSummary
Urban heat island effect occurs in cities as common material such as asphalt and concrete absorb heat from the sun more than trees and vegetation. Cities can often be several degrees higher compared to the rural areas that surround them. This is a problem as heat waves contribute to more deaths than any other extreme weather events. Singapore is taking steps to solve the urban heat island problem.
Singapore’s underground cooling system saves some districts in the city up to 40% in electricity usage. Naturally, urban heat island effect can also be mitigated by introducing vegetation throughout the city, something Singapore has done well for a while now. Garden buildings are present all over the city-state after all. But many other aspects of design can be integrated to reduce the urban heat island effect including shading windows, clear areas that allow wind to move through, more bodies of water, using less heavy materials in building construction, reducing combustible engine usage, and have energy production stationed outside the city.
Singapore is in the process of creating a virtual city model to test which of these is most efficient in cooling the city-state. This model can then be extrapolated to other cities across the globe and help fight climate change.