The role of urban climate knowledge in planning and policy development: an international study of built environment higher education

Despite extensive research detailing how to reduce and adapt to climate change impacts in cities, urban planning and design-related solutions are often not put into practice. This implementation gap frequently stems from the limited involvement of both the general public and professionals. The need to create climate-sensitive cities has never been more urgent, yet turning available knowledge into action remains an issue. Planning policy can assist in the reduction of adverse effects of overheating, wind, direct solar radiation, and so forth, but this is dependent on the professionals’ understanding of how urban elements and their arrangements can change the resulting urban climate. This study explored built environment related education worldwide, specifically how exposure to urban climate education affects urban planning practice and policies produced around the globe. Methods adopted were an online survey (n= 84) aimed at built environment professionals, and interviews with urban climate academics (n=14). Results show that urban climate is being taught to professionals, but not in an effective way. Although planning policy has a direct role in the resulting urban climate, as planners have little exposure to urban climate education there is a lack of regulations that ensure professional practice leads to the desired outcomes. Rather, the decision to implement climate-sensitive responses is left at the discretion of urban designers and landscape architects. Through the exploration of built environment education across many different countries this study also uncovered best practice examples being taught to future built environment professionals during their undergraduate degrees. It demonstrates that societal engagement depends on stakeholders and decision-makers interest, which is determined by their own awareness and education.