An evidence base for climate-responsive suburbs

Climate-Sensitive Urban Design literature largely focuses on urban areas and Urban Heat Island effects, with far less attention to suburbia. In response, this study models outdoor thermal comfort across six suburbs in hot Köppen climate zones in Western Australia using Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) as a metric. Strong-to-extreme heat stress occurs across all precincts on typical summer days, indicating limited responsiveness to climatic conditions. Thermal discomfort is greatest near clustered built form, and parks lacking tree canopy provide minimal cooling. This highlights the need for suburban design that improves ventilation and delivers tree canopy-based shade networks.