The fourth session of the Our Urban Future series, co-organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the City Diplomacy Lab, examined what cities are doing now to respond to extreme heat, and how those efforts can be scaled, shared, and connected through the tools of city diplomacy. Moderated by Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director of the City Diplomacy Lab, the event brought together city representatives from Antalya (Turkey), Barcelona (Spain), Lagos (Nigeria), and Singapore for a structured conversation built around two focused rounds of exchange, followed by an open Q&A.
Dr. Kihlgren Grandi opened by situating the discussion close to home: both UNEP Cities and the City Diplomacy Lab are based in Paris, and Europe was then experiencing its fourth heatwave of the year, with wildfires sweeping through France and Spain in the days just prior — a stark reminder of what extreme heat and drought can do to human and natural ecosystems alike. Without a clear strategy, he noted, cities risk public health crises, deepening inequality, real economic losses, and disruption to essential services — making preparedness for extreme heat essential to protecting both communities and economies.
Dr. Eleni Myrivili, UNEP’s Global Chief Heat Officer, opened with a video message framing heat as the climate risk redefining urban governance. She presented the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, launched with the Brazilian COP30 Presidency and more than 100 partners, and stressed that heat resilience and sustainable cooling must be addressed together. She introduced the 50 Cities at 50°C (50@50) campaign — in which Antalya, Barcelona, and Lagos, among 19 cities, are testing extreme-heat scenarios inspired by Paris’s own exercise — and pointed to the Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South as a resource for integrating heat resilience into planning, housing, and public health.
Full Session Recording
Round 1: Urban Heat Resilience in Practice
ANTALYA: Trees Trained for Shade
Dr. Fulya Kandemir, Senior Researcher in the Climate Change Division of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality’s Climate Change and Zero Waste Department, presented Antalya’s horizontal crown-pruning technique, training trees along boulevards into wide, umbrella-like canopies that cool streets at low cost. The practice sits within a broader forestry effort — 3 million trees planted since 2019, expanded after a major 2021 wildfire — paired with the MUHIR project, which maps heat risk across Antalya’s 19 districts and feeds directly into the city’s forthcoming Heat Action Plan, due for launch at COP31.
BARCELONA: A Citywide Shade Plan
Gloria Hidalga Figueras, Science Technician in the Climate Change and Sustainability Office of Barcelona City Council, described Barcelona’s Shade Plan, which mapped the city’s walkable public space and prioritized shade installation by solar exposure, use intensity, and resident vulnerability. Since 2024, the city has installed shade at 66 school playgrounds and 113 children’s play areas, adapting its approach — from trees to photovoltaic canopies to textile shade sails — as budget realities evolved, and validating results through resident surveys showing higher satisfaction and use.
LAGOS: A Generational Tree-Planting Movement
Adedoyin K.S. Lasisi, Director of Environmental and Social Safeguards in the Office of Environmental Services at Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, presented Lagos’s tree-planting program, active since 2008 under a law requiring at least one million trees planted each July 14. More than 10 million trees have been planted to date, each geo-tagged, with a new initiative inviting residents to adopt and care for a seedling for a year.
SINGAPORE: Greenery as National Strategy
Petrina Leo, Deputy Director for Climate Adaptation and Heat Resilience Policy in the Energy and Climate Division of Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, traced Singapore’s “City in a Garden” vision to concrete 2030 targets for new parks, park connectors, and streetscape greening, alongside the LUSH program requiring new developments to replace displaced greenery — which has delivered more than 442 hectares of greenery citywide since 2009 — and a Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme co-funding rooftop and vertical greening on existing buildings.
Round 2: Visions for the Future
Each panelist named one keyword for their approach to international cooperation. Leo chose connectivity, pointing to Singapore’s high-resolution climate projections shared regionally and its hosting of the 2026 Global Cooling Pledge Assembly. Lasisi chose partnership, citing ongoing work with UNEP, C40, and ICLEI Africa. Hidalga Figueras chose collaboration, pointing to Barcelona’s Climate Shelter Network and its own 50°C simulation exercise, inspired by Paris. Kandemir closed with integration, describing how Antalya’s Heat Action Plan links global science with local decision-making.
Discussion and Q&A
On financing, Leo pointed to Singapore’s Green Mark certification and co-funded incentive schemes; Kandemir described a pattern of starting interventions with municipal budgets before securing national and EU funding as projects build a track record. On reaching less-connected residents, Kandemir described Antalya’s neighborhood-level muhtars, who relay information in person and via social media with attention to age, gender, and migration status; Leo described Singapore’s pre-season alerts, publicly accessible heat-stress data via the MyENV app, and coordinated outreach to migrant workers through community and employer networks.
Closing Reflections
Asked for one priority for the next five years, Hidalga Figueras urged expanding greenery wherever possible. Lasisi recommended starting with an urban heat study and map. Leo emphasized public education. Kandemir stressed the need to engage decision-makers early, before the cost of inaction grows further.
For further guidance, see the Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South, developed by the World Bank with contributions from UN-Habitat and UNEP.
The Our Urban Future series continues on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, with a session on multilevel governance for sustainable buildings and construction, featuring representatives from Toronto, Mumbai, and Kisumu. The draft program and registration link are available here.
Explore past sessions in the series:
- Cities and the Future of Food: Circularity, Equity, and Urban Resilience (June 29, 2026)
- Driving Change in Urban Mobility: How Digitalization Is Accelerating Low-Carbon Transport Across Cities (February 26, 2026)
- Delivering Local Climate Action: Insights from COP30 (December 1, 2025)