Urban Heat Exposure: Health Risks and Socioeconomic Impacts
A Special Issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851) belonging to the section "Urban Governance for Health and Well-Being".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1308
Editors
Interests: urban climate change (especially heatwaves); health and economics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cities not only concentrate population and economic activity but also amplify thermal stress through dense built environments, limited ventilation, and heat-retaining surfaces and, consequently, urban heat exposure has emerged as a critical challenge at the intersection of climate change, public health, and urban development. Extreme heat in urban settings poses direct threats to human health (e.g., intensifying risks of heat-related illness, cardiovascular stress, and excess mortality), while simultaneously undermining labor productivity, straining healthcare systems, and widening socioeconomic inequalities. These impacts are particularly acute for vulnerable groups and in rapidly growing cities. Investigating urban heat exposure and its health and socioeconomic consequences has therefore become essential to the design of evidence-based mitigation and adaptation strategies that enhance resilience, protect public well-being, and sustain long-term urban prosperity.
This Special Issue aims to advance interdisciplinary research on the nexus of climate change, human health, and the socioeconomic impacts of heat exposure in urban contexts. This focus aligns perfectly with the scope of Urban Science, which centers around the structure, processes, and sustainability of urban systems and their implications for human well-being. The overarching goal of this Special Issue is to deepen understanding of how urban forms, infrastructure, and policy interventions jointly shape climate resilience, promote population health, and foster sustainable economic development. We welcome studies that offer empirical evidence, methodological innovation, or policy-relevant insights to support cities in addressing heat risks and promoting sustainable development.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome, and research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:
- Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of urban heat exposure;
- Health impacts of heat and humid heat in urban populations;
- Economic and social consequences of urban heat exposure;
- Climate exposure, health inequities, and urban vulnerability;
- Assessing the health benefits of urban climate mitigation policies;
- Economic evaluations of climate adaptation measures for urban infrastructure;
- Modeling the interconnections between climate events, health outcomes, and economic productivity in urban areas;
- Governance and policy frameworks for the integrated climate–health–economy action plans of cities;
- Research on linkages between urban heat exposure and urban climate resilience;
- Research on urban heat exposure and heat-related vulnerability.
Submissions are not limited to the above research topics, but should remain relevant to urban heat exposure and the health risks and socioeconomic impacts thereof.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Qiuyun Zhao
Dr. Lei Jiang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- climate change
- urban heat exposure
- health risks
- health inequality
- socioeconomic impacts
- climate policy
- urban infrastructure
- sustainable urban development
- interdisciplinary research
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