The Challenge
Cities are heating up faster than the world around them. In 2026, Europe endured a record-shattering heatwave with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius higher than normal, breaking all-time records for the highest May and springtime temperatures across the region, and an early analysis found the June 2026 European heatwave may have contributed to between 17,000 and 25,000 deaths, with around 20,000 considered the most likely estimate.
Much of that risk is concentrated in the built environment itself. A 2024 Climate Central analysis found urban heat islands boost temperatures within 65 major U.S. cities that are home to 50 million people, or 15 percent of the total U.S. population. Dark surfaces such as asphalt and rooftops store heat during the day and slowly release it at night, while a lack of trees reduces shade and cooling through evaporation.
The challenge was to make this gap visible and actionable. Heat Island was developed as a prototype to put players inside the decisions that drive these outcomes, so the trade-offs of urban planning and design become something understood and practised, empowering our cities to act.
Project Outcomes
Critical thinking through simulated decision-making
By practising planning and design decisions inside the simulation, players develop critical thinking skills that carry over to real environmental and urban planning challenges, deepening awareness of how heat islands connect to broader climate change issues.
Community, behavioural and policy impact
Beyond the game itself, this prototype aims to shift habits, from material choices to transport use, and to inspire players to engage with their communities and advocate for policies and green infrastructure that mitigate urban heat, building public support for action at a local and regional level.
Browser Game
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Accessibility friendly
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Based on real world research
Browser Game
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Accessibility friendly
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Based on real world research
CASE STUDY: Urban Heat Island
The Cooling Equation
Heat Island is a prototype single-player digital simulation that puts players in the role of an urban planner tackling one of cities' most overlooked climate challenges: the Urban Heat Island effect. Players make resource, design and planning decisions that balance environmental, economic and social factors, watching the consequences of those choices play out across the city in front of them.
Across the game, players see how the man made environments trap and radiate heat. They then weigh up the trade-offs involved in cooling a city, from green infrastructure and building materials to transport and land use. In-game facts and quizzes reinforce the connection between urban heat, public health, energy use along with broader climate change.
Resources & Associated Papers
United Nations University. (2026). What are urban heat islands and why do they matter? https://unu.edu/ehs/article/what-are-urban-heat-islands-and-why-do-they-matter
Climate Central. (2024). Urban heat hot spots. https://app.climatecentral.org/dataviz/urban-heat-hot-spots