To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research
Extreme heat events present significant health risks, particularly for populations facing systemic marginalization. Through interviews and FGs with 63 ( n = 60 residents; n = 3 service providers (SP)) participants, this paper explores the barriers and opportunities related to access and use of cooli...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada6f4 |
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| author | Liv Yoon Giulia Belotti Rachel Stern Katherine White Aida Mohajeri Abby Zhou Eduardo Rosales Miranda Erika Siao Thanh Le Jeff Masuda Eun-young Lee Chris Buse |
| author_facet | Liv Yoon Giulia Belotti Rachel Stern Katherine White Aida Mohajeri Abby Zhou Eduardo Rosales Miranda Erika Siao Thanh Le Jeff Masuda Eun-young Lee Chris Buse |
| author_sort | Liv Yoon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extreme heat events present significant health risks, particularly for populations facing systemic marginalization. Through interviews and FGs with 63 ( n = 60 residents; n = 3 service providers (SP)) participants, this paper explores the barriers and opportunities related to access and use of cooling centres from both user and provider perspectives, as well as broader implications for addressing vulnerability to extreme heat in the metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Initially focused on cooling centres, our research expanded to include the complexities of individual and systemic responses to heat, highlighting the complex interplay between personal preferences and structural barriers. Key barriers to cooling centre usage reported by participants included concerns over safety, hygiene, stigma, lack of information, and infrastructural challenges such as transportation. SPs faced constraints with staffing, limited hours, and underutilization of additional services. Tensions emerged between individual, do-it-yourself (DIY) approaches and collective solutions, with participants seeking agency in their choices while acknowledging the need for improved, community-based interventions. The study also uncovered the unintended effects of inclusivity, as the presence of individuals who use substances or are unhoused in cooling spaces deterred some potential users, underscoring the challenges of designing universally accessible services. Broader systemic issues, such as housing security and the quality of indoor environments, further intersected with vulnerability to extreme heat, exacerbating risks for those opting to stay at home. The paper recommends leveraging existing public spaces, enhancing social networks, improving tenant protections, and fostering ‘right to cool’ initiatives to balance immediate relief with long-term systemic reform, particularly around the rental housing crisis and tenant insecurity. By addressing both individual and collective needs, this approach can mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat while promoting greater equity and resilience. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4228444c695f45329d7242335d86de0e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2752-5309 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-4228444c695f45329d7242335d86de0e2025-01-17T09:29:46ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Health2752-53092025-01-013101501110.1088/2752-5309/ada6f4To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action researchLiv Yoon0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2330-1159Giulia Belotti1https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4398-6553Rachel Stern2Katherine White3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4319-9692Aida Mohajeri4Abby Zhou5https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8488-0659Eduardo Rosales Miranda6https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1774-9137Erika Siao7Thanh Le8https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0627-4069Jeff Masuda9Eun-young Lee10Chris Buse11School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaInstitute for Resources Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaDepartment of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaSchool of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaScience-Po , Paris, FranceDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaInternational Relations Program, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, CanadaSchool of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC, CanadaSchool of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University , Kingston, ON, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University , Burnaby, BC, CanadaExtreme heat events present significant health risks, particularly for populations facing systemic marginalization. Through interviews and FGs with 63 ( n = 60 residents; n = 3 service providers (SP)) participants, this paper explores the barriers and opportunities related to access and use of cooling centres from both user and provider perspectives, as well as broader implications for addressing vulnerability to extreme heat in the metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Initially focused on cooling centres, our research expanded to include the complexities of individual and systemic responses to heat, highlighting the complex interplay between personal preferences and structural barriers. Key barriers to cooling centre usage reported by participants included concerns over safety, hygiene, stigma, lack of information, and infrastructural challenges such as transportation. SPs faced constraints with staffing, limited hours, and underutilization of additional services. Tensions emerged between individual, do-it-yourself (DIY) approaches and collective solutions, with participants seeking agency in their choices while acknowledging the need for improved, community-based interventions. The study also uncovered the unintended effects of inclusivity, as the presence of individuals who use substances or are unhoused in cooling spaces deterred some potential users, underscoring the challenges of designing universally accessible services. Broader systemic issues, such as housing security and the quality of indoor environments, further intersected with vulnerability to extreme heat, exacerbating risks for those opting to stay at home. The paper recommends leveraging existing public spaces, enhancing social networks, improving tenant protections, and fostering ‘right to cool’ initiatives to balance immediate relief with long-term systemic reform, particularly around the rental housing crisis and tenant insecurity. By addressing both individual and collective needs, this approach can mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat while promoting greater equity and resilience.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada6f4cooling centresheathousingresilienceinequityright to cool |
| spellingShingle | Liv Yoon Giulia Belotti Rachel Stern Katherine White Aida Mohajeri Abby Zhou Eduardo Rosales Miranda Erika Siao Thanh Le Jeff Masuda Eun-young Lee Chris Buse To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research Environmental Research: Health cooling centres heat housing resilience inequity right to cool |
| title | To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research |
| title_full | To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research |
| title_fullStr | To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research |
| title_full_unstemmed | To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research |
| title_short | To cool or not to cool: understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community-based participatory action research |
| title_sort | to cool or not to cool understanding and improving cooling centre use in metro vancouver through community based participatory action research |
| topic | cooling centres heat housing resilience inequity right to cool |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada6f4 |
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