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

ABSTRACT: Urban populations face increasing vulnerability to extreme heat events, particularly in rapidly urbanising Global South cities where environmental exposure intersects with socioeconomic inequality and limited healthcare access. This study quantifies heat vulnerability across Johannesburg, South Africa, by integrating high-resolution environmental data with socio-economic and health metrics across 135 urban wards. We examine how historical urban development patterns influence contemporary vulnerability distributions using principal component analysis and spatial statistics. Environmental indicators (Land Surface Temperature (LST), vegetation indices, and thermal field variance) were combined with socioeconomic and health variables (including indicators on crowded dwellings and healthcare ac

SUBMITTER: Parker C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12540561 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature