Book chapter
Nature-Based Solutions to Overheating for Equitable Heat Health Protection
Towards a Nature-Positive Built Environment, pp 247-258
2026
Abstract
The majority of individuals spend more than 90% of their time inside buildings, underscoring the critical importance of healthy indoor environments. Excessive heat can have a significant impact on human well-being, affecting both physical and mental health, and prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to heat-related illnesses, ranging from heat exhaustion to heatstroke. Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, young children, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of excessive heat. These individuals often spend a significant amount of time indoors, making their homes the primary location where heat-related health issues can arise. Indeed, most heat-related fatalities tend to occur in residential settings, particularly within people’s homes. Although mechanical air conditioning is a common choice for regulating indoor climate, it represents an unsustainable approach that will exacerbate health disparities, increase energy consumption, and add to greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, nature-based solutions, including energy-efficient building designs and landcover adaptation methods, can offer more cost-effective and climate-resilient solutions to help protect public health from the effects of extreme heat.
In this chapter, we present nature-based solutions that can mitigate the mortality and morbidity associated with heat stress from indoor overheating. We review the literature from passive design, building science, landscape architecture, green infrastructure, and public health to identify behavioral and built environment strategies to address indoor overheating in residential buildings. Behavioral adaptations for cooling include actions and practices that a home occupant can implement to remain cool, such as reducing metabolic load, strategic ventilation, and night flush cooling. Building innovations include the use of reflective roofing and thermal mass to optimize cooling, as well as careful consideration of window orientation and shading as well as material selection. And on a broader scale, community or regional interventions aimed at reducing urban heat islands involve cultivating green spaces and tree planting and enhancing the reflectivity (albedo) of pavements and rooftops.
Ultimately by embracing behavioral, building and site design strategies tailored to specific regions and climates, future heat stress-related challenges can be avoided. Moreover, by applying these strategies to reduce reliance on energy-intensive mechanical cooling, we can not only drive down greenhouse gas emissions and forestall the ongoing climate crisis, but also derive multiple co-benefits such as reduced stress, enhanced wellbeing, as well as increased community engagement and social equity.
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Details
- Title
- Nature-Based Solutions to Overheating for Equitable Heat Health Protection
- Creators
- Simi Hoque - Drexel UniversityLeah Schinasi - Drexel UniversityMolly Hesson - Drexel UniversityRamyar Tajik - Drexel University
- Contributors
- Giuliana Iannaccone (Editor)Eugenia Victoria Ellis (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Towards a Nature-Positive Built Environment, pp 247-258
- Series
- Research for Development
- Publisher
- Springer Nature; Cham
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative; Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering; [Retired Faculty]; Environmental and Occupational Health
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105029841235
- Other Identifier
- 991022154811904721