Heat Resilient Cities through integrated Heat Risk Governance and Investment

Extreme heat has emerged as a defining challenge of the 21st century. It is now more frequent, intense and prolonged, driving rising mortality, productivity losses, infrastructure disruption, ecosystem decline and deepening inequalities—especially in cities. Critically, it is also a growing threat to adequate, safe and affordable housing, as housing sits at the centre of interconnected urban systems: energy reliability, water services, transport access, food systems and health systems all influence housing conditions and safety from extreme heat. Recognizing the scale of the challenge, the UN Secretary-General has named extreme heat a “top-tier climate risk,” calling for urgent and coordinated action to strengthen prevention, preparedness, resilience and governance. To support heat-resilient housing and communities, a suite of practical tools is now available to help cities and partners take coordinated actions. UNDRR, WMO and the Global Heat Health Information Network coordinated the Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit, launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, to help decision-makers measure, understand, strengthen and sustain heat-risk governance and investment across sectors and scales—supporting heat-risk-informed housing and urban planning decisions. In addition to this, the Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package, in collaboration with the Making Cities Resilient 2030 Initiative, offers a three-stage roadmap, tools and a dashboard for cities to assess risk, plan heat mitigation and adaptation, and monitor progress. The World Bank Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South provides evidence-based strategies to integrate cooling and heat resilience into planning and design, strengthen green infrastructure and expand sustainable cooling that protects health and livelihoods. This session convenes technical experts, city governments and partners to explore how these tools can strengthen coordinated, multi-sector action and investment for heat-resilient housing and safer, more resilient communities. The session will: • Unpack key drivers and cascading impacts of urban heat, including impacts on housing. • Showcase available tools and discuss integrated governance to mobilize multi-sector actors and investments for housing and communities. • Spotlight practical challenges and successes in governing and financing urban heat action.