Development and validation of the Global Urban Heat Vulnerability Index (GUHVI)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, amplifying heat-related health risks in cities worldwide. Inequities in heat vulnerability arise from disparities in heat exposure, built and natural environments and population attributes that impact heat sensitivity, and socio-economic determinants of adaptive capability. A lack of internationally consistent and accessible heat vulnerability metrics creates barriers to assessing inequities and benchmarking urban heat vulnerability between cities worldwide. To address this need, we developed the Global Urban Heat Vulnerability Index (GUHVI), applicable to cities worldwide, using open data to identify spatial inequities in heat vulnerability at the neighbourhood scale. Built from an Australia-specific heat vulnerability index, the evidence-informed framework developed for the GUHVI evaluates heat exposure, heat sensitivity and adaptive capability to holistically assess heat vulnerability. Quantitative validation for eight Australian cities demonstrated strengths of the GUHVI in spatial resolution and the assessment coverage of the grid-based framework. Qualitative validation for nine diverse cities internationally was performed in collaboration with local subject matter experts with knowledge of each city context. The GUHVI addresses critical gaps in existing methods by enabling systematic and comparable measurement of heat vulnerability in diverse cities internationally. Our customisable open-source global index provides evidence on modifiable risk factors of urban heat vulnerability, to inform targeted adaptation strategies that promote climate resilience and reduce health impacts from heat.
Source: Urban Climate
Authors: Ryan Turner, Carl Higgs, Chayn Sun, Eugen Resendiz, Ke Peng, Xiaoyu Cheng, Ruth Hunter, Geoff Boeing, Daria Pugacheva, Ruoyu Chen, Deepti Adlakha, Vedankur Kedar, Giovani Longo Rosa, Adewale Oyeyemi, Rossano Schifanella, Pau Serra del Pozo, Gonzalo Peraza-Mues, Joanna Valson, Ester Cerin, Anna Puig-Ribera, Erica Hinckson, Melanie Lowe
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,690
Funder: AXA Research Fund
OpenAlex ID: W4416869621