European Cities Tackle Extreme Heat With Innovative Designs
WHO:
Fast Company - Paris residents and city officials are involved in implementing design interventions to combat extreme heat.
ABC News - Amelie Kenney and Francesca Pilia are residents of a top-floor apartment in Paris.
WHAT:
Fast Company - Paris' "cooling islands" keep spaces roughly 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the surrounding areas.
ABC News - A study found that living in a Paris attic room directly under the roof increased the risk of death from heat by more than fourfold.
ABC News - Paris experienced record highs for June nudging past 40 C (104 F) during the day and 25 C (77 F) at night.
Fast Company - Paris has expanded its "cooling islands" from more than 800 in 2019 to over 1,400.
Fast Company - Marseille plans to plant about 300,000 seedlings and 8,000 mature trees as part of its urban design intervention.
Fast Company - Barcelona's metro system has implemented an AI ventilation control system that reduces temperatures in stations by about 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
ABC News - A study of the 2003 heat wave attributed 15,000 heat-related deaths to extreme temperatures, with attic apartments increasing the risk of death by more than fourfold.
WHERE:
Fast Company - Paris, France; Nantes, France; Marseille, France; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Utrecht, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Amsterdam, Netherlands.
ABC News - Paris, France.
WHEN:
Fast Company - Marseille's tree planting plan is set for 2024.
Fast Company - Rotterdam's green rooftops were designed in 2022.
ABC News - A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal in 2023 examined heat-related deaths in European cities.
WHY:
Fast Company - European cities are implementing design solutions to combat extreme heat and improve public health.
ABC News - Zoning regulations in Paris hinder efforts to adapt housing to extreme heat, protecting rooftops but not the residents beneath them.
HOW:
ABC News - Amelie Kenney and Francesca Pilia use a small electric fan, take cold showers, and sponge themselves down with a wet rag to cope with the heat.
Fast Company - Paris uses water, vegetation, and shading structures in "cooling islands" to lower temperatures.
Fast Company - Schools in Nantes are using a chalk powder called Blanc de Meudon to block heat from windows.
Fast Company - Utrecht has adopted green roofs for public bus shelters to collect rainwater and grow plants.
ABC News - Residents in Paris are using electric fans, cold showers, and wet rags to cope with extreme heat.
(UPDATED June 25, 2026 13:43 UTC)
Paris is implementing "cooling islands" that help lower temperatures by about four to seven degrees Fahrenheit compared to surrounding areas, as the city faces record highs for June, surpassing 104 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 77 degrees at night. A recent study highlights the dangers of living in attic rooms directly under the roof, revealing that this can increase the risk of death from heat by more than fourfold. To cope with the sweltering conditions, residents like Amelie Kenney and Francesca Pilia are turning to small electric fans, taking cold showers, and using wet rags to cool down.
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(UPDATED June 25, 2026 11:54 UTC)
Cities across Europe, including Paris, Marseille, and Barcelona, are taking significant steps to combat extreme heat, with Paris expanding its "cooling islands" from over 800 to more than 1,400. Marseille plans to plant about 300,000 seedlings and 8,000 mature trees as part of its urban design intervention, while Barcelona's metro system has introduced an AI ventilation control system that lowers station temperatures by approximately 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit. In Paris, residents are coping with the heat using electric fans and cold showers, as zoning regulations complicate efforts to adapt housing for better protection against extreme temperatures.