Beat The Heat: Co-governance for Heat Stress Adaptation Strategies

BEAT THE HEAT – Cool Co-Governance for Heat Stress Adaptation (2023–2027) is a comparative research project hosted at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development and the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, in The Netherlands. It examines how different vulnerable communities cope with and adapt to rising heat in two contrasting urban neighbourhoods: Lunetten in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Karail in Dhaka (Bangladesh). Through in-depth empirical work, the project investigates the everyday strategies people already use to endure heat stress and the social, infrastructural, and political conditions that shape their capacity to adapt.

Building on these insights, BEAT THE HEAT develops locally grounded adaptation strategies designed by and with residents, alongside concrete policy and action frameworks for local governments and NGOs. Particular attention is given to “voluntary non-migrants”: people who cannot easily relocate but wish to remain in their neighbourhoods, and who are often overlooked in dominant climate adaptation agendas. More about this project on their website.