The latest Map of the Month, by project leaders Dr Thami Croeser (RMIT University) and Professor Michele Acuto (University of Melbourne), focuses on the impact of asphalt and concrete on urban heat islands, a phenomena which causes urban areas to be 4-10 degrees hotter than rural areas. With global temperatures continuing to rise, finding a way to combat urban heat islands is vital.
By analysing data to calculate how much asphalt and concrete surrounds each building in Metropolitan Melbourne, the team discovered that buildings in Melbourne are surrounded by 271 square kilometres of asphalt and concrete, an area roughly the size of Taipei. More than 50% of all buildings are surrounded by land that’s over a third concrete and asphalt.
A building that is mostly surrounded by concrete and asphalt will be hotter than a building surrounded by trees and vegetation. The map reveals this and shows a stark east-west divide—Melbourne’s leafier and wealthier eastern suburbs have less heat exposure than more socioeconomically disadvantaged suburbs in the west.
Luckily, there is a way to reverse this inequality and to reduce the impacts of urban heat islands. De-paving cities—that is replacing concrete and asphalt with plants and soil—can significantly increase the amount of trees and vegetation in our cities. By removing parking spaces, widening footpaths and narrowing wide-splayed intersections, Melbourne’s asphalt jungle can be transformed into a thriving urban oasis.
This month’s map was produced by Amanda Belton, Dr. Emily Fitzgerald, and Dr Stuart Lee, using data provided by AURIN and Geoscape Australia.
Read about this month’s map in more detail on Pursuit.
We’re so happy to be part of the Map of the Month initiative—a science communications project led by the University of Melbourne, in collaboration with AURIN, Melbourne Centre for Cities, Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, and Pursuit.
The goal of the project is to use maps as a tool to initiate important policy discussion within Metropolitan Melbourne. The maps and stories feature in the project are contributed by academics, community leaders, and government representatives from different areas of Melbourne. The project is made possible through the support of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and partnerships with the Victorian Office for Suburban Development and the Municipal Association of Victoria.