While people in cooler climes often can’t wait for warmer weather, many cities need to adapt to stay productive and comfortable when the heat hits. Some wisdom is age-old (channelling a breeze, blocking direct sunlight) and some is part of a growing body of newer evidence (greenery to counter the heat-island effect). All will be necessary to help cities survive hotter summers and unpredictable weather.

The good news is that there are global benchmarks to draw on. Singapore’s garden city credentials, Venice’s drinking fountains, Zürich’s lake and awnings or the whitewashing of Aegean buildings. Every little helps. So we asked visual artist Edo Brenes to take us through some of the ways in which we can all stay cool this summer.

---