City of Hume at risk of overheating

The concrete-laden City of Hume is among the top nine local government areas in Australia most vulnerable to overheating.

The concrete-laden City of Hume has been named among the top nine local government areas in Australia most vulnerable to overheating, leading to a potential health crisis for residents.

New research from 202020 Vision, a national initiative which aims to increase urban green spaces by 20 per cent by 2020, has found suburbs are not sharing the heat load equally, with poorer suburbs more likely to bear the biggest burden.

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Other areas prone to extreme heat include Darebin and the city of Ballarat in Victoria, as well as Belmont in Perth and South Australia’s Gawler, Port Adelaide Enfield, West Torrens, Playford and Charles Sturt.

Griffith University urban and environmental planner Dr Tony Matthews said a key reason cities overheated was because they were constructed from steel, concrete and aggregate that absorbed heat.

Hume Council’s sustainable infrastructure and services director Peter Waite said it had plans to increase open space, with about 90ha added to the council’s reserves annually.

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“Each year, an additional 5000 street trees and several thousand reserves trees are planted,” he said.

Hume council’s acting director of community services Lisa Letic said older people, young children and people with a medical condition were most at risk during extreme heat conditions.

She encouraged residents to seek refuge at community facilities such as the Hume Global Learning Centres and aquatic centres on hot days.

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