Exploring differential Urban Heat Vulnerability - A Case Study of Overvecht, the Netherlands

Abstract

As climate change is expected to enhance the frequency and severity of heatwaves, urban populations will increasingly deal with risks of heat stress. This thesis research explores how urban heat vulnerability can potentially differ among socio-demographic groups in Overvecht, the Netherlands.

The research utilised an integrative vulnerability framework including exposure, sensitivity, coping capacity, and adaptive capacity as core components of heat risk (rooted in the IPCC’s conceptualisation of risk). The study employed a mixed-method approach. Firstly, a literature review was performed to gain an understanding of differential vulnerability and risk factors. Based on those findings, a survey was designed and employed to collect primary data on factors potentially influencing residents’ vulnerability in Overvecht. These factors were then disaggregated by socio demographics.

The results suggest that heat vulnerability in Overvecht is unequally distributed. Groups such as the elderly, renters, low income households, as well as residents possessing chronic health conditions, were often either more exposed, more sensitive to heat effects, or possessed a lack of coping and adaptive capacities. Such vulnerability likely manifested through poor housing quality, lack of shading or green space, or limited social capital (among others). Inferential statistical analysis (Chi-square tests) was also performed to check factors for associations.

Through studying detailed intra-urban differences of heat vulnerability, this research contributes to current heat adaptation management. Such adaptation management currently misses local and contextual findings derived from assessments of vulnerability. Therefore, the findings offer some practical insights for policymakers aiming to create just and equitable heat adaptation strategies in the context of warming urban settings.