Cool Towns
Cool Towns was a collaborative project funded by the Interreg 2 Seas Programme with partner projects taking place in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and several other UK towns. The focus was to deliver town greening projects to further understand how to reduce the effects of heat stress in Southend.
What is Heat Stress?
Heat stress refers to the physical and environmental strain caused by excessively high temperatures in cities. It occurs when urban areas become much warmer than surrounding, less built-up regions. This is a result of several by factors such as the use of heat-absorbing materials like concrete, lack of green space, and high energy use. This stress affects people who live, work, and travel through built-up cities, potentially leading to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even heatstroke. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and outdoor workers are often the most at risk.
The Cool Towns Project explored how increasing and improving green spaces can help reduce the future impacts of heat stress in Southend, making the city more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Some examples of the works carried out as part of Cool Towns included:
- Heat stress mapping and modelling tool- this was a new tool developed to help identify the town’s ‘hotspots’ and model how green interventions could cool them down
- Decision Support tool- a new tool offering guidance on the best heat resilience measures, showing their benefits, costs, and cooling potential
- Street greening works- We integrated works with other regeneration projects in Southend (Town Centre Redevelopment Improvement Projects (TRIPS) and the Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS)) and introduced tree planting, permeable surfaces, and pocket parks to cool and green the town centre.
- Cool Towns Design Toolkit- this was a new guide for planners and developers on designing cooler spaces. This meant considering factors such as building orientation, reflective materials, greenery, and shading etc
Watch the video below to learn more about the Cool Towns Project:
