ACT Disaster Mental Health & Wellbeing Multiagency Community of Practice - Urban Heat & Community Resilience
About the Session:
This session will explore urban heat as an emerging challenge for the ACT, focusing on how data, partnerships, and coordinated action can strengthen community resilience.
The session will begin with a 20-minute overview of Urban Heat Island Effect in the ACT, presented by the ACT Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience team. This will provide insights into local heat patterns, exposure, and vulnerability to inform planning and response.
This will be followed by a 30–40-minute presentation from Emma Bacon, CEO of Sweltering Cities, sharing practical insights from multiagency collaboration in Western Sydney and/or Melbourne. The presentation will highlight how cross-sector partnerships, community engagement, and targeted place-based interventions are being used to respond to extreme heat.
Together, these presentations will support discussion on how urban heat insights can be translated into coordinated, community-led responses in the ACT context.
Emerging evidence also highlights the relevance of this work for mental health and wellbeing. Climate-related stressors, including extreme heat, are increasingly associated with heightened psychological distress, impacts on emotional wellbeing, and disproportionate risks for vulnerable populations. In addition, the broader awareness of climate change is contributing to anxiety about the future, particularly among young people.
Target Audience:
This session is relevant to members of the ACT Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Community of Practice, including representatives from government, non-government and community organisations involved in emergency management, health, social recovery, infrastructure, planning, and community services. It is particularly suited to those interested in the intersection between environmental risks and community wellbeing, and in strengthening cross-sector coordination, partnerships, and community-led approaches to emerging challenges such as urban heat.
About the Speakers:
ACT Adaptation and Resilience Urban Infrastructure Project
The ACT Adaptation and Resilience Urban Infrastructure project is a whole-of-government initiative focused on understanding and responding to climate-related risks, including urban heat. The project brings together data, modelling, and cross-sector collaboration to identify areas of vulnerability and inform planning, infrastructure investment, and resilience strategies across the Territory.
The Urban Heat Modelling component provides detailed insights into how heat is experienced across different parts of the ACT, supporting evidence-based decision-making and coordinated responses to protect communities and infrastructure.
Emma Bacon is the Chief Executive Officer of Sweltering Cities, a national organisation working to address the impacts of extreme heat in Australian communities. Emma leads advocacy, research and cross-sector collaboration to improve urban heat resilience, with a strong focus on equity, housing, and community wellbeing. Through partnerships with government, community organisations and researchers, Sweltering Cities has supported practical, place-based responses to extreme heat across Australia, including in Western Sydney and Melbourne.
Email: meganb.taylor@act.gov.au to get a link to this event