Composite heat vulnerability index across Johannesburg wards, with darker colours indicating higher vulnerability

Quantifying intra-urban socio-economic and environmental vulnerability to extreme heat events in Johannesburg, South Africa

by | Jul 2, 2025

This study quantified heat vulnerability across 135 wards in Johannesburg by integrating high-resolution environmental data with socio-economic and health metrics. Published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, the analysis identified distinct patterns of vulnerability shaped by historical urban development, limited access to healthcare, and unequal socio-economic conditions.

The findings showed that environmental exposure, health status, and socio-economic factors each contributed to urban heat vulnerability, with the highest-risk areas concentrated in historically disadvantaged communities. The study provides an evidence-based framework for prioritising heat-resilience interventions in rapidly urbanising cities.

Read more:

Parker, C., Mahlasi, C., Govindasamy, T., et al. (2025). Quantifying intra-urban socio-economic and environmental vulnerability to extreme heat events in Johannesburg, South Africa. International Journal of Biometeorology, 69, 2501–2517.

Recent Publications

Our Research in Print: HE²AT Center Publications

by | Aug 14, 2026

Over the past five years, the HE²AT Center set out to answer a simple but urgent question: how does extreme heat affect health across Africa — and what can we do about it? That work is now reflected in a growing body of published research. Every paper on this list represents months of fieldwork, data wrangling, and collaboration across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire and beyond. As the project draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back at what this collaboration has produced.

read more