Australia’s first rating and assessment tool for heat was launched by the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) last month.
Developed in partnership with Resilient Sydney and the Greater Sydney Commission, the Cool Suburbs Tool is part of a suite of WSROC projects aimed at addressing urban heat under the Turn Down the Heat Strategy.
WSROC president Barry Calvert said the tool is the first comprehensive place-based rating system to assess the heat resilience delivered by urban designs at various development scales – from lot to community masterplan.
“Cool Suburbs translates what we know about heat, climate and the built environment, into a practical tool to guide on-ground decision-making,” Cr Calvert said.
It sets out a broad range of measures to guide place-based urban heat resilience, identifying specific measures that should be considered at different stages of the development process for existing, changing, and new suburbs.