Cooling Fiveways: Heat Risk Research Project

Throughout London’s hottest summer on record, Lambeth Council partnered with Big Local North Brixton to deliver a research programme on heat risk. 

The project set out to explore the effectiveness of heat advice, how social infrastructure can support residents and how cooling strategies work in real-life homes.

The Challenge

Heat risk is no longer a future concern; it’s a current and growing challenge.

As climate change accelerates, extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and dangerous – especially in urban environments. The risk to our community from heatwaves is a new challenge for Lambeth, and as a result, it is unclear whether the current heat advice is appropriate for Lambeth residents.

These climate extremes are not experienced equally across Lambeth’s communities. While many of us might welcome a warm summer day, extreme heat can be a serious life-threatening risk to older adults, young children, those with pre-existing health conditions, and people living in properties of certain types or of poor standard.

Lambeth, like many parts of London, faces a set of challenges:

• A high proportion of residents live in social housing or private rented accommodation, which is poorly adapted to heat
• Limited access to green space in some areas of the Borough, particularly in deprived areas
• Communities already managing other health and economic pressures

Lambeth has substantial levels of income deprivation and poverty; approximately 23–25 % of residents live in households with incomes below 60 % of the UK median after housing costs, and nearly 39 % of children are in low-income households.

Housing pressures are also an issue, with median rents consuming a high proportion of salary, and households in temporary accommodation or overcrowded conditions are more common than in many other London boroughs. These factors directly overlap with heat vulnerability as lower-income households are less likely to have access to effective cooling or green space and more likely to live in dwellings that overheat in summer.

In summary, Lambeth’s heat risk is shaped not only by climate change but also by socio-economic and housing inequalities that amplify vulnerability. These intersecting factors mean that heat risk isn’t just an environmental issue; it's a public health issue, a housing issue, a social justice issue, and a local resilience issue.

As part of our Climate Action Plan, (opens in a new window) Lambeth has committed to developing and delivering a borough-wide heat mitigation plan to reduce the risk of extreme heat impacts on vulnerable groups. With funding from Impact on Urban Health, Lambeth Council set out via the Cooling Fiveways Project to:

• Identify areas and populations in Lambeth most exposed to extreme heat.
• Better understand how socio-economic, housing, and environmental factors in these areas shape vulnerability to heat.
• Investigate how these factors impact individuals’ adaptive capacities.
• Capture lived experiences of overheating and coping during heatwaves.
• Establish which existing support systems are in place in our communities, and how those community connections can be utilised during extreme summer temperatures to best support our most vulnerable residents. 
• Co-develop practical mitigation measures with residents and local stakeholders.
• Test the application of such mitigation measures via the hyperlocal social infrastructure in place and identify barriers.
• Produce actionable recommendations to inform future policy, planning and service delivery.

Action Taken

Timeline

The project was delivered over a nine-month period:  

• Months 1 to 2: Initial data collection and spatial analysis of heat risk and vulnerability.
• Months 2 to 3: Identification of delivery partners, engagement planning, recruitment of participating households (‘Cool Kit Cohort.)
• Months 3 to 6: Delivery of community engagement activities, including events, focus groups and surveys.
• Months 6 to 9: Data analysis, project evaluation and output creation.

In 2024, Lambeth, in partnership with Impact on Urban Health, conducted an analysis and mapping of heat inequality based on population sensitivity to heat, available here (opens in a new window).

The map on the left shows heat inequality for the Borough as a whole. The map on the right shows the 10% of the most heat-stressed areas, and the project area chosen around Loughborough Junction is within the top cluster of the highest heat inequality.  

Demographics

The project prioritised engagement with groups identified as most vulnerable to heat exposure in Lambeth, including:

• Low-income households and residents in deprived areas.
• People living in rented flats.
• Older residents and individuals with long-term health conditions.
• Communities with limited access to green space or private outdoor areas.
• Families with children under five.

While engagement focused on priority groups, participants reflected the diversity of Lambeth’s population in terms of age, household composition and tenure, while prioritising participation from those most vulnerable to heat-related harm.

Our partners and their roles

To deliver this work effectively, Lambeth partnered with Big Local North Brixton, which had an established presence and trusted relationships within the project area, enabling access to residents and organisations that would otherwise have been difficult to reach. Big Local North Brixton acted as a local delivery hub, recruiting and managing a dedicated research team to deliver a suite of engagement and research activities. 

These activities were designed to capture both residents’ immediate lived experiences during heatwaves and changes in awareness, confidence and risk perception over the summer. Big Local North Brixton’s existing partnerships with hyperlocal organisations and service providers enabled:

• Access to specialist events and communications channels 
• Use of trusted community venues to host research activity and support participation throughout the project lifecycle
• Rapport with a broad cross-section of residents within high-risk demographics

Big Local North Brixton acted as a bridge to key local partners, including Marcis Lipton, Ecosystem Coldharbour, and Loughborough Junction Action group (LJAG), and, through them, many smaller local organisations.  This hub-and-spoke delivery model combined strategic oversight from the Local Authority Climate Change and Sustainability team with hyper-local engagement and was critical to the project’s ability to generate high-quality, equity-focused evidence, whilst maintaining trust, relevance and accessibility at a community level. 

Engagement Activities

The project adopted a multi-layered engagement approach combining large-scale surveying, targeted longitudinal research and qualitative insight. This enabled exploration of immediate experiences of heatwaves alongside changing perceptions of risk and adaptation over the summer.

Engagement methods were designed to capture both broad community experiences and deeper household-level insight, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Recruitment reflected the diversity of Lambeth’s population in terms of age, tenure and household composition, with the Cool Kit Cohort intentionally weighted toward residents most at risk of heat-related harm, including older people, families with young children and individuals with long-term health conditions.

Across the programme:

• Nearly 300 residents were surveyed at community events
• Over 100 residents participated in focus groups
• 62 households took part in longitudinal engagement as part of our ‘Cool Kit Cohort’

Community surveys 

Surveys captured experiences of heat exposure, awareness of risk and familiarity with existing heat-health guidance. Questions explored overheating in homes, access to cool spaces, behavioural responses and perceived vulnerability. Surveys were designed with accessibility in mind, with researchers available to support completion.

Community Events

Surveys and informal engagement were embedded within twelve community events across Lambeth during summer 2025, including St Johns BBQ, Max Roach Children’s Festival, Max Roach Windrush Festival and Loughborough Children’s Centre Fun Day. Delivering engagement in familiar settings reduced barriers to participation and supported inclusive data collection.

Alongside this, the project team distributed the UK Health Security Agency's “Beat the Heat” (opens in a new window) guidance. 

Cool Kit Cohort: Longitudinal Engagement

A cohort of 62 households was recruited for longitudinal engagement across the summer, selected using vulnerability criteria aligned with national heat-health guidance (aged 65+, households with children under five, and residents with long-term health conditions).

Participants received Cool Kits including temporary blinds, fans, thermometers, water bottles and cooling mats, alongside practical guidance. Around two-thirds of households required support with delivery and installation (due to personal circumstances, e.g., mobility or cognitive challenges). 

Participants were surveyed at three stages:

• Early summer (baseline): prior to receiving the ‘Kits,’ on perceptions of heat risk, previous overheating and coping strategies 
• Post-heat alert: early use of kits and barriers to adoption
• Post-summer: reflections on lived experience and effectiveness of interventions

This staged approach generated comparative insight into both perceived and experienced heat risk, and behavioural adaptation over time.

To recognise residents’ time, participants received £25 vouchers at each survey stage and retained the equipment at project completion.

Focus Groups

Focus groups were also conducted to explore insights in greater depth, with both Cool kit Cohort participants and wider community members in trusted local venues, including Crowhurst Sheltered Housing, Angeltown RMO and Marcus Lipton Community Enterprise. Sessions explored:

• Physical and emotional impacts of heat 
• Challenges to cooling homes 
• Adaptive capacity and barriers 
• Household decision-making 
• Perceptions of landlord and service support 

Participants received £25 vouchers to support inclusive participation. These discussions complemented survey data by capturing nuance and shared community experience.

Digital Communication via Trusted Partners

The project also tested the role of social infrastructure in heat-risk communication. Partner organisations shared targeted messaging through social media and WhatsApp groups, typically three days before forecast heat events.

This approach enabled timely, preventative advice to reach residents through trusted channels, demonstrating the value of community networks in climate-risk communication, particularly to residents less likely to engage with formal channels.

The Results

The research showed that resilience to heat risk is not just an environmental or infrastructural challenge, but a social one. The strong association between extreme heat, stress and isolation demonstrates the need for community-based action. Effective partnerships with local organisations will be crucial in responding to future heatwaves. The project also showed that cool kits can help reduce the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable households. All of which directly support our Climate Action Plan ambitions around:

• Community-led climate action
• Health equity and climate justice
• Strengthening local partnerships and civic infrastructure

The data from the community surveys showed that 70% of respondents were experiencing uncomfortable levels of heat in their homes, and 74% were experiencing them outside their homes, underscoring a clear need for action.

In particular, higher-risk older residents showed a clear preference for in-person and paper-based communication and were less likely to engage with digital channels, except for text messaging (see Figure 2).

Post-heatwave engagement with the Cool Kit Cohort further indicated that alerts integrated into in-person project engagement were the most effective way of prompting residents to prepare for extreme heat (see Figure 3). In-person interaction was also the most effective way to share advice, with 48% of participants agreeing they received guidance directly from the project team.

The next most valued sources were the printed guidance packs and local community organisations. These findings highlight that climate resilience is most effective when delivered through existing neighbourhood ecosystems, including community centres, faith groups, children’s centres and voluntary organisations.

Figure 3: Cool kit participants: Response to the question ‘Where did you hear heat health warnings?'

The data also aligns with the recommendations of the UKHSA in their Adverse Weather and Health Plan, which recognises that trusted, hyperlocal organisations are critical delivery partners in climate adaptation. To learn more about our ways of working and partnership structure,

Taken together, these findings point to a consistent conclusion: communication alone is not enough. Residents are more likely to act on heat-health advice when it is delivered by trusted people, in familiar settings, and through existing community relationships. In this context, social infrastructure becomes a key mechanism for delivering climate resilience, not just supporting it. For Lambeth, this means:

• Treating social infrastructure as essential climate infrastructure
• Embedding heat resilience within existing community programmes
• Investing in relationship-based engagement as a core adaptation strategy

This approach aligns with the CAP’s emphasis on co-production, fairness and locally rooted delivery. 

Emerging themes

Using an iterative approach, we allowed residents’ experiences and accounts to shape the research project's scope. From the surveys, focus groups, workshops and follow-up conversations conducted at different stages of the summer, consistent patterns began to surface. Participants repeatedly described similar challenges during heatwaves. these accounts were analysed collectively, clear threads connected individual stories to wider structural conditions.

Residents spoke about:

• Social and emotional impacts of heat, particularly isolation, stress and the value of trusted support networks
• Housing-related overheating constraints, including structural limitations and tenure-related barriers; "I'm a tenant, I'm not allowed to make changes to my home, and my landlord won't."
• Neighbourhood-scale environmental conditions, such as access to shade, green infrastructure and publicly accessible cool spaces
• Disproportionate vulnerability among specific population groups, particularly older residents, households with young children and those with long-term health conditions

These recurring experiences formed the basis of the four thematic pillars:

The themes reflected grounded, evidence-led insights. They captured the realistic ways heat risk is experienced; socially, domestically, spatially and through existing inequalities.

The next section analyses these four areas, connecting the lived experience to tangible service and policy opportunities, identifying where adaptation efforts can most effectively improve outcomes for residents.

Combatting isolation

Extreme heat is often understood as a physical health hazard, but the Cooling Fiveways research makes clear that its social and emotional impacts are just as significant.  The findings show that:

• Heat can act as a social isolator, keeping people indoors and disconnected.
• Generic written guidance is often insufficient, particularly for residents facing complex housing or health challenges.
• Trusted, in-person support significantly reduces stress and increases confidence.
• Social connection functions as a protective factor during extreme weather.

Residents repeatedly described heatwaves as “stressful, depressing or anxiety-inducing,” with four in ten Cool Kit Cohort households reporting low mood during hot periods. The issue of stress, depression and mental health was explored in the focus groups, where it became clear that it was strongly linked to individual circumstances, e.g. a person’s age, health, how resilient their home is to heat, and their family circumstances.  Lived experience accounts associated with this theme are explored further in our Narrative Report.

Isolation magnified these effects. Heat restricted people’s willingness to leave overheated homes, reduced informal social contact and limited access to community activities. This was particularly acute for residents who rely on carers or community services that may be disrupted by extreme temperatures. Older adults, parents of young children and people with limited mobility were particularly likely to stay indoors, cut off from support networks.

The project showed that social connection is a powerful protective factor. Nearly three-quarters of Cool Kit participants rated in-person support as “really important.” Community venues and trusted local organisations enabled residents to translate guidance into practical action, reducing feelings of isolation.

These findings reinforce a central insight: social infrastructure is climate infrastructure. Community centres, faith groups, children’s centres and hyperlocal organisations are essential delivery partners. Embedding heat preparedness into these existing networks strengthens both climate resilience and social cohesion.

This aligns strongly with the Climate Action Plan’s commitments to:

• Community-led climate action
• Climate justice and health equity
• Strengthening partnerships across the borough

Policy and delivery implications include:

• Treating trusted community organisations as core climate adaptation partners
• Embedding seasonal heat preparedness within existing neighbourhood services
• Investing in relationship-based, place-based engagement, not just information campaigns
• Recognising social infrastructure as essential infrastructure in adaptation planning

The project demonstrated a scalable model in which climate action is delivered through community ecosystems, strengthening both resilience and social cohesion simultaneously. Behavioural messaging alone will not be sufficient as summers intensify. Adaptation planning must incorporate relationship-based delivery models that prioritise trust, proximity and continuity.

As climate change increases the frequency and duration of heatwaves, the social and psychological impacts will become more pronounced. Without intervention, extreme heat risks increase existing inequalities, particularly in neighbourhoods already experiencing deprivation, overcrowding or limited green space.  Addressing isolation during heat events is therefore a preventative public health intervention as much as a climate adaptation measure.

Healthy and resilient homes

Housing conditions emerged as one of the strongest determinants of heat vulnerability.  Overheating risk is concentrated in flats, rented and upper-floor accommodation - often intersecting with income deprivation and limited tenant agency. The community survey data showed that 70% of respondents were experiencing uncomfortable levels of heat in their homes.  While these figures may seem high, they are consistent with work published by the Resolution Foundation and conducted in Southwark by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, (opens in a new window) sponsored by Impact on Urban Health.

Furthermore, for many residents, overheating was not the result of their behaviour, but of property constraints such as direct sunlight through large or poorly shaded windows, limited cross-ventilation, insulation that traps heat, and restrictions on making property alterations.  For our cool kit cohort, over half (54%) told us that their homes had a lot of windows or glass doors that catch the sun and make rooms hot, and around one in five (22%) told us that it was hard or not possible to create a cooling breeze by opening windows.  Nearly half of the participants also reported security concerns when opening windows, further limiting the effectiveness of standard public health advice. 

While it is clear that a very large number of households are experiencing overheated homes, the Cool Kit Cohort insights demonstrate that it is possible to mitigate the impact of heatwaves using a combination of simple, relatively low-cost equipment and support.  Over 90% of the participants said the Cool Kits improved their comfort on hot days. More specifically, 95% of participants with pre-existing health problems (and therefore deemed higher risk) reported that the kits helped them manage their health, with 65% saying their health was much better than they expected as a result of the equipment provided. 

However, the project also highlighted the limits of individual action and, by extension, of behaviour-change-only approaches. Fans, blinds and thermometers increased awareness and confidence, but they could not overcome the underlying thermal performance issues in many homes. The evidence also implies that those with existing health problems could benefit from relatively simple cool kits and advice.  However, while short-term advice and equipment can reduce immediate risk, long-term housing improvements are essential to prevent that risk from recurring each summer. Overall, our findings showed that simple, low-cost tools and tailored advice can help people cope with heat in the short term, particularly when support is practical and easy to follow. Sustained resilience will require retrofitting, shading interventions, ventilation upgrades, and passive cooling design embedded within the housing strategy. 

These findings reinforce key priorities within Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan (CAP):

• Delivering building retrofit and energy efficiency improvements
• Improving housing quality across all tenures
• Addressing climate inequality through targeted intervention

Without systemic intervention, many residents, particularly renters and those living in flats, will remain exposed to overheating beyond their control and continue to face overheating they can’t fix on their own.

For Lambeth, this suggests:

• Integrating overheating mitigation into retrofit programmes
• Embedding heat risk assessment into housing strategy and landlord engagement
• Ensuring private rented sector engagement is part of adaptation planning

This supports the CAP’s whole-housing-system approach, recognising that decarbonisation and climate adaptation must progress together. Energy efficiency improvements that fail to consider overheating risk may unintentionally exacerbate summer heat exposure. Adaptation must therefore be designed in parallel with mitigation. The research provides evidence that retrofit policy must move beyond winter warmth to year-round thermal safety.

Healthy and resilient neighbourhoods

Residents’ ability to cope with extreme heat was strongly shaped by their immediate neighbourhood environment. While this work clearly shows that many Lambeth residents live in homes that overheat, around half of the 300 residents interviewed also reported experiencing uncomfortable levels of heat outside their homes. Access to shaded streets, tree canopy, green infrastructure and publicly accessible cool buildings significantly influenced whether residents felt safe leaving their homes.

Interviews with the cool kit participants highlighted how much access to parks or green spaces affected their lived experience of heatwaves, with only 65% reporting access. Despite relatively encouraging statistics on access to green space, the research identified a wide range of barriers to getting outside in the heat. Nearly three-quarters of participants reported not having access to water when away from home, and 6 out of 10 (61%) worried about finding a toilet if they drank more water to hydrate. There was also uncertainty about accessing local cool spaces: around four in ten felt they could access one (37%), a similar number were uncertain (39%), and the remainder (25%) felt they could not access one.

This reframes heat adaptation as a public realm challenge rather than solely a housing issue. When neighbourhoods lack shade, free water refill points, public toilets and clearly identified cool indoor spaces, public health advice such as “get out of the house” or “stay hydrated” becomes impractical. The burden of coping shifts back onto individuals, often those already most vulnerable.  

While some residents reported being able to access parks or green spaces, the research showed that the facilities to make these spaces usable are inconsistent and cannot be relied upon as a refuge from overheating homes. The findings show that our public spaces were not designed for today’s hotter summers. Especially for people with limited mobility or health needs, green spaces and cool buildings need to have:

• Shaded walking routes
• Better access to free water refill points
• Public toilets that are open and easy to use
• Clearly identified and affordable access to cool indoor spaces

The findings indicate that much of the public realm is not designed for today’s hotter summers. Streets, high streets, and transport corridors frequently lack the shade and facilities required for safe movement during prolonged heat events. This aligns directly with CAP commitments to:

• Increase urban greening and tree canopy cover.
• Deliver nature-based solutions.
• Build climate-resilient public spaces.

Making these improvements would help residents travel safely to schools, GP surgeries, shops and community spaces during heatwaves; and reduce the pressure on people to cope alone in overheated homes. Adapting streets, public spaces and local buildings is essential to help everyone stay safe as summers get hotter.

For Lambeth, this means:

• Embedding heat resilience within public realm design and regeneration
• Prioritising greening and shade in high-density, high-vulnerability areas
• Strengthening cross-sector coordination between planning, public health and climate teams

The findings support a place-based adaptation strategy that ensures neighbourhood design enables safe movement and access during extreme heat. 

Caring for our most vulnerable residents

One of the biggest challenges this project surfaced was around ‘self-perceived risk,’ in relation to heat, with many participants known to be in ‘high risk’ categories, not perceiving themselves in this way. This was particularly relevant for older residents, who face a higher risk from heat events but often don't perceive it as such.

This is a significant insight into how to mitigate heat risk in homes, as individuals might not see themselves at risk, so offers of help may be delayed or ignored until the risk becomes critical. The effect of this poses a risk to residents' health, with nearly half (39%) of those surveyed reporting becoming ill from the heat in summer, and more than one in ten saying they had needed some kind of medical help. As summers intensify, heat risk will increasingly intersect with safeguarding, care continuity and preventable mortality.  

Participants receiving care also recounted challenges in giving support carers access to their homes because their homes were too hot! Care workers travelling by public transport in extreme heat and delivering care in overheated homes may face an elevated risk themselves, highlighting a workforce vulnerability. If carers become unwell or unable to travel, the continuity of care could be disrupted at times when vulnerable residents most need support. This is a significant risk for Lambeth, with around 2,000 residents receiving council-arranged home care services, the majority of whom are aged over 65.

Our cool kit testing demonstrated that support is most effective when it is:

• Proactive and delivered before temperatures peak
• Targeted and prioritises residents with identifiable vulnerability
• Locally trusted and communicated through familiar organisations and relationships
• Supported with written advice and information, as well as in-person support

Reactive emergency response alone is insufficient. Once temperatures have risen sharply, the opportunity for preventative intervention narrows significantly. Helping vulnerable residents prepare in advance by supporting them to be informed and empowered to tackle heat in their homes and when outside can reduce harm, build confidence, and mitigate avoidable emergency escalation. 

For Lambeth, this suggests:

• Developing proactive heat preparedness strategies for care recipients and older residents
• Disseminating information via trusted local channels
• Prioritising vulnerable households in adaptation investment
• Considering the implications for workforce resilience as a result of increased heat risk within care system planning

Overall, the findings reinforce the need for a coordinated, preventive cross-sector approach, embedded across climate, health, and social care systems. The project demonstrates that equitable adaptation is possible and must prioritise those least able to adapt and protect themselves.

From analysis to action

Taken together, the four themes show that effective heat adaptation cannot be delivered through a single intervention or sector. It requires a coordinated, systems-based approach that integrates:

• Social infrastructure: trusted networks that reduce isolation and support behaviour change
• Housing intervention: retrofit, shading and ventilation to address structural overheating
• Neighbourhood-scale design: shade, water, cool spaces and climate-resilient public realm
• Targeted protection: proactive support for residents least able to adapt

This integrated model reflects the systems-based approach set out in Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan; combining mitigation, adaptation and fairness. Cooling Fiveways provides a replicable framework for neighbourhood-level climate adaptation that is data-informed, community-led, equity-focused and scalable.

Conclusion

The Cooling Fiveways Projects demonstrates that extreme heat is no longer a future risk but a present and growing challenge for Lambeth. The findings show that heat vulnerability is shaped not only by climate exposure but by housing conditions, neighbourhood design, social isolation and existing health inequalities. As a result, effective adaptation cannot rely solely on individual behaviour change; it requires coordinated, cross-sector action.

Across the four themes explored in this case study, a consistent message emerged: resilience to heat must be embedded within everyday systems. Trusted community networks help reduce isolation and enable behaviour change. Heat-resilient housing reduces structural exposure. Shaded, accessible neighbourhoods support safe movement. Proactive support protects residents least able to adapt. Together, these elements form a practical, place-based model for equitable climate adaptation.

For Lambeth and its partners, this means integrating heat resilience across housing retrofit, public realm design, health and social care planning, and community partnership delivery. It also means targeting investment where heat exposure intersects with inequality, and recognising social infrastructure as essential climate infrastructure.

The outputs of the project show that responding to heat at the neighbourhood level is achievable, but scaling this approach will require collaboration across local authorities, health systems, housing providers, planners and the voluntary and community sector. Without accelerated action, there is a risk that future heatwaves could outpace our preparedness and disproportionately affect those least able to cope.

By building on these insights, partners can move from pilot to programme, ensuring Lambeth’s communities are better prepared, better protected and more resilient as summers continue to get hotter.

Call to Action: Challenge Menu

Heat risk cuts across policy boundaries, service areas and organisational responsibilities. The evidence from the Cooling Fiveways project highlights several priorities for collective action:

• Scaling preventative, community-based heat resilience approaches across boroughs
• Integrating overheating risk into housing retrofit, planning and regeneration programmes
• Embedding heat preparedness within adult social care and public health systems
• Strengthening partnerships with voluntary and community sector organisations
• Prioritising investment in neighbourhoods experiencing both heat exposure and inequality

Work is already progressing nationally and regionally across London, supported by regional partners and policy development. However, the pace of climate change means adaptation efforts must accelerate.