Cities are getting hotter. Building materials like concrete or asphalt trap and radiate heat. Heat emissions from vehicles and air conditioning units are concentrated in urban areas, and there’s less of a breeze in built-up places.

Alongside fewer trees or the absence of cooling rivers, heatwaves can feel harsher in urban areas, where homeless people are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat.

Researchers like me don’t yet know enough about how high temperatures affect those experiencing homelessness, or what exactly should be done to protect them as the effects of climate change become more severe.

But we do already know that cities in the UK are not well adapted to high temperatures. Making matters worse, many people don’t have access to reliable and safe resources.

In central Manchester, for example, there are few public toilets to access and free drinking water is not easy to find. In June 2026, reports have highlighted multiple instances of homeless people in the city suffering illness and sunburn from high temperatures. This summer, some charities and organisations have handed out provisions in hot weather, like cold drinks or suncream.

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