As climate change intensifies, heat has emerged as the deadliest and most underestimated environmental threat of the 21st century—one that disproportionately affects the world’s poorest, hottest, and most densely populated regions. Heat Resilience by Design is a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary guide that reimagines how cities, communities, and institutions can respond to this escalating crisis—not just through technical fixes, but by transforming the very systems that shape urban life.

Rooted in rigorous science, systems thinking, behavioral insight, and global best practices, this book presents Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) as a powerful paradigm shift in our response to extreme heat. It moves beyond surface-level greening to explore how NbS can be designed, financed, implemented, and scaled equitably—especially in low- and middle-income countries where vulnerability is highest and resources are scarce.

The book unfolds through a carefully sequenced arc: it begins by unpacking the thermodynamics of heat and its hidden economic and health tolls, then surveys global heat hotspots and the limits of current adaptation strategies. It makes the case for NbS not as decorative or optional, but as foundational urban infrastructure. Through a comparative analysis of case studies from India, Colombia, Spain, and Rwanda, it reveals what works, what doesn’t, and why. The volume offers a practical, justice-centered pathway for designing cooler, healthier, and more liveable cities—especially for those who are too often left behind in climate planning.

Navya Mishra is at Center for Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India, DY Patil School of Public Health, and Founder of Sequester