Improving Thermal Comfort in Urban Areas is key for a successful city environment. In hot climates , like in Vijayawada and surrounding region this requirement becomes quite critical during the peak summer months of April to June. You may have read numerous times in news paper over the last month regarding the heat wave and I have personally experienced the unbearable heat shock this year when this part of India( Andhra Pradesh ) reached 46 Deg C.  Question is : What is the role of modern city design in such a situation? Can better design help ? The Answer from my experience of designing of urban areas in hot climates is that the role of design is critical for managing heat wave impacts on people. Some of you may remember how living in old parts of cities( e.g. Old Delhi ), which may have grown organically , with narrow shaded streets and lots of trees and lots of places to sit was a much more bearable experience that it is to walk on modern asphalt or concrete streets with blaring traffic that may run you over any moment. Recently I went travelling inside Vijayawada conducting measurements with a thermal imaging Camera to understand what the temperature environment on a street like MG Road / Bandar Road looks like on a typical summer afternoon day when the air temperatures is above 40 C. Sharing a few images which will help prove that temperatures of road asphalt surfaces reach above 60 Deg C on peak summer days ! That’s why the roads are empty in afternoon. The one who walks them risks dehydration and a heat stroke. Thus I hope this brings into discussion the need for better design of our streets, spaces and building form so as to protect and decrease the impact on our pedestrians. A lot can be done especially to provide shade, places to sit and use cooler materials. 

Harsh – Architect, Environmental Designer