Hot Cities

A Transdisciplinary Agenda

Cities series

Wendy Steele, Urban Futures Enabling Impact Platform, Research and Innovation Portfolio, RMIT University, Australia, John Handmer, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria and Ian McShane, Centre for Urban Research, College of Design and Social Context, RMIT University, Australia

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

Shedding light on the future of urban spaces, this path-breaking book is a significant contribution to contemporary climate change scholarship. It synthesizes interdisciplinary research with practical policy, putting an emphasis on positive environmental and socially just outcomes and urban regeneration.

‘Albert Einstein famously said that “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” The authors of this book take this to heart and demonstrate that a new kind of thinking is urgently needed and possible to address the rising heat in our cities. Their transdisciplinary approach to tackling urban heat is grounded in ethics and equity, embracing a wide variety of knowledge. You may think that collectively embracing our creative ability to think differently won’t lead to rapid decarbonization in our cities, but this book will change your mind!’
– Sabine von Mering, Brandeis University, US

‘In the evolving reality of a heated planet, it is largely the voices of select natural sciences, finance, technology and risk appraisal that we hear. Hot Cities opens a far more imaginative and creative dialogue around climate change and our hugely varied cities, wielding diverse knowledges and values to offer both sharp warnings and inviting future prospects.’
– Steve Dovers, Australian National University

‘The majority of humans now live in cities. With climate change accelerating, they are all hot cities. So how the urban population lives is both being affected by and contributing to climate change. This interdisciplinary effort is a handbook for civilised urban futures.’
– Ian Lowe (AO), Griffith University, Australia and author of Living in the Hothouse