Cooling Cape Town

Cape Town is pioneering a city-wide, data-driven approach to extreme heat management by combining strong governance, real-time heat monitoring, public-health protocols, and nature-based cooling. Building on its 2021 Climate Action Plan, the city approved a dedicated Heat Action Plan (HAP) in 2023 and has since implemented a set of targeted measures: heatwave standard operating procedures, a network of cooling centres, dynamic early-warning systems, and an ambitious urban-greening programme. High-resolution heat mapping carried out in 2024 has enabled precise targeting of vulnerable neighbourhoods, particularly informal settlements, and strengthened community engagement. The initiative reflects a shift from reacting to heat emergencies to proactively reducing heat risk, embedding resilience across departments, and making heat awareness accessible to residents.

Cape Town’s implementation pathway combines planning, institutional coordination, and community-centred data collection.

1. Integration into Climate Action Plan (2021)

Heat resilience incorporated into mitigation/adaptation actions supported by the National Treasury’s Cities Programme. 

2. Development of Heat Action Plan (2023)

The standalone HAP introduces detailed actions, responsibilities, timelines, and monitoring strategies.

3. Creation of heatwave SOPs

Departments responsible for health, emergency services, social development, and water services now follow unified protocols for issuing alerts and deploying services:

• Trigger thresholds: When a heat alert must be issued (e.g., specific temperatures or forecast conditions).
• Roles & responsibilities: Which departments act (health, disaster management, water, social development, communications).
• Immediate actions: Opening cooling centres, activating public-health advisories, distributing water, deploying field teams.
• Communication protocols: How alerts are sent (SMS, social media, radio) and what messages must be conveyed.
• Coordination: How agencies coordinate during the heatwave period.
• Reporting & monitoring: How impacts, incidents, and response effectiveness are logged.

4. Heat mapping and risk assessment (2024)
   • Mobile sensors mounted on volunteer vehicles produced a high-resolution dataset of urban heat.
   • Mapping identified extreme hotspots in informal settlements and dense urban areas.
   • Results published in a public ArcGIS StoryMap to strengthen community awareness.
5. Cooling infrastructure

Establishment of cooling centres within libraries, community halls, and public facilities.

6. Urban greening & tree-planting programme

Targeted greening of priority hotspots to reduce urban heat island effects and expand shade.

7. Early-warning & monitoring systems

Development of a real-time EWS for heat alerts integrated with public-health messaging.

An intergovernmental and community-centred coalition.

• National Treasury’s Cities Programme
• World Bank City Resilience Programme (technical support)
• Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC)
• CAPA Strategies (heat mapping)
• Local NGOs and community volunteers
• City departments across health, urban planning, environment, and emergency management

Making heat risk visible and actionable for residents.

• ArcGIS StoryMap with interactive heat maps
• Awareness campaigns on hydration, shade, and heat-related health risks
• Social-media alerts integrated with the EWS
• Community workshops in high-risk neighbourhoods

Leveraging climate budgeting, national support, and targeted investments.

• Estimated total investments: US$6-8 million, combining digital tools, cooling infrastructure, and urban greening:
  • Heat mapping & digital tools: US$0.5M
  • Cooling centres & preparedness systems: US$2–3M
  • Urban greening & tree planting: US$3–4M
• Municipal climate-action budget allocations
• National Treasury’s Cities Programme technical and financial support
• Small grants for data collection, tree planting, and communications

A more coordinated, data-driven and equitable heat-resilience system.

• Precise identification of heat hotspots: The 2024 mobile-sensor mapping revealed strong intra-city temperature contrasts, enabling the city to prioritize >100 high-risk areas, especially informal settlements where residents face the greatest exposure.

• Improved public protection during heatwaves: The new SOPs and early-warning system have strengthened emergency readiness, allowing faster alerts, coordinated departmental action, and clearer public health messaging.

• Expanded access to cooling: A growing network of cooling centres now provides safe, accessible spaces for vulnerable residents during high-heat days, reducing immediate risks to health and productivity.

• Accelerated nature-based cooling: Targeted urban greening and tree planting in identified hotspots are already improving shade coverage and supporting long-term reduction of urban heat island effects.

• Better-informed urban planning: Integration of high-resolution heat data into planning processes is shaping decisions on green infrastructure, public facilities, and service delivery.

• Greater public awareness and engagement: The ArcGIS StoryMap has broadened understanding of heat risks among residents, NGOs, and local leaders, making heat a more visible and actionable urban issue.

• Institutionalization of heat resilience: With the Heat Action Plan embedded in the Climate Action Plan, Cape Town now has a durable governance framework to scale efforts over the coming years.

Persistent constraints limit the speed and reach of implementation.

• Uneven access to cooling infrastructure across low-income areas
• Limited dedicated funding for heat preparedness
• Data gaps persist for indoor heat exposure
• Coordination complexity across multiple departments
• Competing climate priorities (water, flooding) sometimes dilute attention to heat

Cape Town demonstrates that integrated planning + data-driven targeting + community engagement can rapidly strengthen heat resilience even in resource-constrained contexts. The model is highly replicable for cities facing multiple climate risks because it:

• Uses low-cost, high-resolution heat mapping to guide interventions.
• Aligns with existing climate action plans rather than creating new governance burdens.
• Combines immediate protection (cooling centres, SOPs) with long-term transformation (urban greening).
• Makes heat information publicly accessible to shift behaviour and political support.
• Builds cross-departmental ownership, reducing institutional silos.

Cape Town’s approach offers a scalable blueprint for cities in Africa and the Global South seeking to operationalize heat resilience through practical, people-centred actions.