Integrating Green Infrastructure with Accessible Design to Reduce Heat Stress on Seniors

As part of a project led by Professor Claudia Baldwin which is analysing ways of planning and integrating green infrastructure to mitigate heat stress in aged care facilities located in the Sunshine Coast, we have published a short commentary paper in the Interface section of Planning Theory and Practice.

The introduction is below and the full article is available here.

With an increasingly ageing population, vulnerable to effects of a warming climate, it is critical that planners better understand how to minimise heat stress in urban environments. This Interface article discusses the potential of green infrastructure to moderate temperatures and improve thermal comfort for ageing populations. We highlight the need to integrate planning for green infrastructure with accessible design to improve opportunities for seniors to remain physically and socially active. We illustrate how our current research in Queensland, Australia integrates green infrastructure and accessibility as key concepts in a decision-making tool for auditing aged care facilities.