Europe and United States face record heat, cities urged to adopt Arizona‑style cooling measures

Europe and the United States are experiencing unprecedented high temperatures, prompting health services and local authorities to sound alarms. Experts say urban planners should look to Arizona, where long‑standing heat adaptations include expanding green zones, planting additional trees, using reflective building materials, and creating cool public spaces.

The intense heat is intensifying the urban heat‑island effect, where concrete‑dense cities become markedly hotter than surrounding areas. Scientists link the growing frequency and severity of such heatwaves to climate change, urging cities to treat extreme‑temperature protection as a public‑safety priority.

Suggested actions range from enlarging urban green spaces and planting more trees to applying reflective surfaces on roads and rooftops and establishing shaded, air‑cooled communal areas, aiming to mitigate health risks and improve livability amid a warming climate.