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Climate change, urban heat islands and health effects : urban planning in Paris Volume 15, issue 4, July-August 2016

Author
Architecte urbaniste
UMR CNRS 7218 LAVUE
Laboratoire Architecture, Ville, Urbanisme, Environnement
ENSA Paris Val-de-Seine
3, quai Panhard et Levassor
75013 Paris
France
* Tirés à part : A. Levy

After a brief review of the expected impacts of climate change and its direct and indirect health effects, this paper focuses on the causes and consequences of heat waves, notably the so called urban heat island (UHI). The determining factors and particular health effects of UHIs are described. The role of urban density and green space on UHI production focuses more specifically on Paris, which combines a high level of urban density with a low level of green space per inhabitant; this dual handicap contributes, together with current global warming levels, to the development of UHIs. The urban densification policy decisions made the Paris authorities in the past few years, which increase the risk of UHIs, are called into question.