Can a city be too hot for density? (Atlanta, development, Houston)
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No it get pretty damn uncomfortable in the summer in Chicago, yet that city is dense and has high transit ridership. This summer has been one of the hottest on record in Los Angeles (a dense city that is often labeled as a sun-belt city) yet is experiencing the highest amount of transit ridership in decades (owes a lot to ridiculously expensive gas). Cities in Brazil and elsewhere throughout the world have very high densities and high transit ridership.
So basically, no. It is more comfortable to drive everywhere in your air-conditioned car, and that is a priority to most people in most sun-belt cities, and that is why they do not have high densities are high transit ridership.
The numbers suggest that Sao Paulo isn't truly hot, more like consistently warm. Their summers are about like Toronto's, record high is 99F, average high in the summer is 82F, except winters are of course much warmer, average highs are 71F in the middle of "winter".
The numbers suggest that Sao Paulo isn't truly hot, more like consistently warm. Their summers are about like Toronto's, record high is 99F, average high in the summer is 82F, except winters are of course much warmer, average highs are 71F in the middle of "winter".
Interesting didn't know that... But still there are definitely cities in hot regions that are densely populated and people walk a lot and take transit a lot.
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I will admit there are times on a crowded MUNI train or bus when it gets a little stuffy. So, I would hate to think what everyday commuting is like in a hot city.
I often take the cable car home in the evening, so I can hang off the side and enjoy the cool breeze. Much better than a crammed-in bus ride.
Spanish cities are the densest in Western Europe, both old and new development. Though Madrid and Barcelona aren't really hot for most american standards, Seville is.
One could also argue cold is unfriendly for high transit usage, yet Canadian cities (Calgary, Montreal) have higher transit usage than similar American cities.
Density doesn't require that you walk, but it can give you more options.
Even Houston is only uncomfortable for about five months (to me), with tolerable to great weather for the rest of the year. Ideally, we would have plenty of density AND our indoor shopping malls. Options is the name of the game.
I think folks in Southern Italy and Greece would be surprised to hear this argument. For that matter, Hong Kong, the epitome of density, is very hot in summer.
but some things make heat unbearable, such as the heat island effect in cities that are drowned in a sea of asphalt and cement. and all the smog produced by having a very high density of cars. which exacerbates the heat island effect produced by the asphalt. air is sucked in by the vehicle intake of each millions of individual cars and goes out the exhaust as super heated air and waste heat, hundreds of degrees hotter than when it went in. pushing up outside heat and pressure, driving up humidity and collective misery.
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