Cool Places Cool Spaces

Putney-Beach-Site

Cool Places Cool Spaces is an identified action within the Ryde Resilience Plan 2030.

This program:

Takes a combined approach using data, education, and engagement with Council and the community to deliver heat mitigation (reduce the problem) and adaptation (adjust to changes) actions that protect people and the environment from the impacts of climate change and urban heat (see below for further information)
Contributes to the Ryde Resilience Plan 2030 targets to cool urban heat island affected precincts and increase canopy cover. Targets
- By 2030, urban heat island affected precincts will be cooled by an average of two degrees Celsius (compared to 2019 ambient heat levels).
- By 2030, at least 40 per cent of the City of Ryde will have tree canopy cover to provide shade, cool the air and help protect the community from extreme heat.

This webpage aims to be a hub where you can find out how Council is responding to urban heat, discover what you can do and access other useful tools and resources.

Cool Places Cool Spaces also supports other key strategies and outcomes including the Ryde Urban Forest Strategy and Biodiversity Plan.

Urban heat and climate change

Urban heat refers to increased temperatures that happen in built-up or highly urbanised areas. Urban heat can harm the health and wellbeing of people and communities (NSW Government, 2025).

The urban heat island effect occurs in our cities which feature more built-up areas and hard surfaces which trap more heat (mainly from the sun) compared with less built-up or rural areas.

Climate change is causing temperatures to rise across NSW. Urban heat and urban heat island effect are making heat-related impacts of climate change more intense in our urban areas leading to more hot days and heatwaves.

To reduce these impacts, it is important to consider the health effects as well as the design of our buildings, homes and public spaces. Council and the community can work together to help combat the issue of urban heat. Find out how in the video below.

Check out this Climate projections map to explore the climate variables for where you live.

How is Council managing urban heat?

Have your Say | Urban Heat Survey 2024 – 2025

It is important that our community plans ahead and prepares for extreme heat, so we can all stay safe.

The City of Ryde invited the community to complete the Urban Heat Survey 2024 - 2025, to better understand how prepared our community is to manage very hot days and heatwaves, and how we can best support our community. The responses received from this survey are being used to further inform what Council is doing to manage urban heat.

Find out more:

Cool Places Cool Spaces Citizen Science Project

City of Ryde is collaborating with the Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre to create a pilot Cool Places Cool Spaces citizen science project based in Meadowbank for Year 11 and 12 geography students in Term 2, 2024. The long-term aim is to implement the project in hot spot areas across the local government area.

The project will use methodologies and equipment designed by RMIT University Sustainable Building Innovation laboratory and UNSW Sydney Faculty of Built Environment High Performance Architecture to measure microclimate data including land surface temperature, air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and light intensity.

The data collected during fieldwork activities will support City of Ryde to plan urban heat mitigation initiatives and community education around the impacts of heat, particularly for vulnerable members of the community.

This collaboration is a great opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in the collection of data and investigation into strategies to mitigate urban heat island effects and increase community resilience.

For more information visit Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre - Urban Heat Excursion.

Trees are cool

Not only do trees have an abundance of benefits for our health and environment, but they are also an effective mechanism to cool our city streets, neighbourhoods and backyards. Tree canopy cover can reduce local land surface temperatures by up to 6°C at land unit scale*

Read more about the benefits of greening and tips and tricks when it comes to planting in your own backyard.

* According to a Macquarie University report in 2021.

What is Council doing to improve the number of trees?

Council has adopted the NSW Government 40% canopy cover target by 2030. To support these efforts, Council has an Urban Forest Strategy which recognises that all the trees growing within the Ryde LGA on public and private land are a critical urban asset and assist improving canopy cover.

The City of Ryde’s urban forest comprises all trees within the city’s boundary, including those on public and private lands.

The City of Ryde’s urban forest is centre to the City’s identity, character and resilience to climate change. Read more in the Ryde Urban Forest Strategy.

How you can help:

Planting trees or other suitable plants on your private land.
Protect what you love - look out for tree pests.
Request a new street tree.

Benefits of Trees

**Helps Wildlife and Biodiversity:** Planting a variety of local trees and plants creates habitats for birds, bugs, and animals to support biodiversity.

**Clean Air:** Trees provide oxygen and help clean the air by absorbing pollutants and carbon dioxide.

**Connection:** Being in nature is beneficial for mental health and provides a sense of connection to our environment.

**Keeps Things Cool:** Trees release water vapor, cooling the surroundings, and absorb carbon dioxide, helping reduce effects of climate change and the urban heat island effect.

**Shade from the Sun:** Trees offer shade, reducing sunburn risk and making outdoor spaces more comfortable.

**Saves Energy:** When trees are planted in the right spots near buildings, they provide shade, lowering the need for air conditioning - saving energy and reducing power bills.

Be prepared and beat the heat

For more information on how to stay safe and be prepared for hot days and heatwaves please visit Survive the Sun and Heat.

Workshops and events

Find out more about the latest workshops and events being offered by the City of Ryde and its partners to build heat resilience in our community. currently there are no workshops but please subscribe to our Smarter, Cleaner, Greener eNews for upcoming workshops and events.

Cool resources to build heat resilience

NSW Government: Cooler Places | Planning
Find out more about strategies to help adapt to urban heat: Urban heat | AdaptNSW
Browse climate projections for your local region: Interactive projections map | AdaptNSW
For more information about urban heat and available data including urban heat and tree canopy visit: Urban heat | Planning NSW
Visit Sweltering Cities – a national advocacy group focused on the health and wellbeing of communities to help build climate-safe cities.
Find out more about heat resilience for Greate Sydney: greater heat resilience for Greater Sydney

Related information

Survive the Heat and Sun