Reducing the Urban Heat Island Effect in Apartment Building

The Urban Heat Island effect is an effect where the built environment of cities, like a lack of greenspace or dark buildings, causes increased hot temperatures. This has caused an increase in heat-related illnesses in Hamilton for those who cannot afford heat-relieving options like air conditioning. During the summer temperatures have been steadily increasing, reaching high twenties to low thirties, but according to the humidex the temperatures feel more like 40°C (CBC, 2021), this is putting many vulnerable individuals in dangerous health situations. A Montreal study found that cities prioritize policies that can increase their economic growth and less incentive exists for social action (Trudelle et al., 2015), this is challenging since those who experience the negative health outcomes of the UHI effect are often low-income Hamiltonians. A study on resilient cooling strategies highlights the benefits of using green roofs, solar shading, ventilative cooling, green facades, sky radiative cooling and ground source cooling (Zhang et al., 2021). Modifying the infrastructure of buildings in a manner that reduces contribution to indoor heat can result in sustainable and affordable solutions.  

• A building surrounded by greenery such as trees on the sidewalks and pathways, plant boxes, ivy on the building, and green roofs can minimize the UHI in the long-term. Aesthetics of buildings is a concern for many so the building should be designed in a way that it is not too drastic.  

• Adding things like bird feeders and bird baths to increase the biodiversity of pre existing green spaces in Hamilton, making the green spaces healthier and therefore better at combatting the UHI. 

• Painting sidewalks, roads and roofs lighter colours, more specifically white so that light and heat can get reflected rather absorbed. Instead of painting roads the traditional black colour, painting them a lighter colour such as white or another light colour (preferable a colour that is aesthetically pleasing). This will make the surroundings more lively for community members.   

Our proposed solution is the implementation of a green roof on apartment buildings where tenants do not have access to air conditioning. Green roofs reduce the urban heat island effect and have additional mental health benefits. Each tenant in the apartment would have their own lot to grow, leading to community engagement with the garden. This would enhance apartment buildings and benefit tenants and the larger Hamilton community by reducing the urban heat island effect