Urban heat islands in cities

The document examines urban heat islands (UHI) in Pärnu, Estonia, highlighting how urban density and coastal dynamics intensify heat. It argues that heat risk is an interaction between physical hazards and social vulnerability, particularly for children and the elderly, and advocates for targeted planning based on spatial mapping of these factors.

• Estonia has experienced rising average temperatures of 0.2–0.3°C per decade since 1951, which is higher than the global average, leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves in years such as 2010, 2014, 2018, 2021, and 2022.
• Extreme heat poses a significant public health threat in Estonia's five largest cities, where an average of over 36 people die prematurely every year during heatwaves. Vulnerable populations include children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases.
• In Pärnu City, urban heat island (UHI) effects are compounded by coastal geography; the shallow Baltic Sea bay warms quickly in summer, resulting in some of the highest coastal water temperatures in northern Europe and maintaining warmth in the city at night.
• Spatial analysis of Pärnu County reveals that the highest heat proximity correlates with greater urban density, while other high-temperature areas are linked to peat mining, though the latter presents little human exposure risk.
• Heat risk is defined as the interaction between the physical hazard, exposure, and social vulnerability. In Pärnu, vulnerability is unevenly distributed, with high concentrations of heat-sensitive residents—specifically those aged 65 and older—located in the city centre.

APA

Hoy, A. (2026). Urban heat islands in cities. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/features/urban-heat-islands-cities-storymap/

Chicago

Hoy, Andreas. Urban heat islands in cities. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2026. https://www.sei.org/features/urban-heat-islands-cities-storymap/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoy |first1=Andreas |title=Urban heat islands in cities |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=9 January 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/features/urban-heat-islands-cities-storymap/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoy2026urban, author = {Hoy, Andreas}, title = {{Urban heat islands in cities}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/features/urban-heat-islands-cities-storymap/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }