A striking new study has unveiled the hottest areas in Birmingham as the city has experienced one of its hottest ever summers.
It comes as the UK experienced record temperatures - with the hottest ever June documented in the world - and as Europe undergoes extreme heatwaves.
The new analysis mapped the temperature differences felt by communities living in different areas of Birmingham. It did the same for Bristol, London, Manchester and Newcastle - but we are just looking at Birmingham.
The research was carried out by mapping experts TerraSulis on behalf of the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth. For the research, the mapping experts looked at the temperatures on the hottest day last year - July 19, 2022, when UK’s all-time temperature record was broken in Coningsby, Lincolnshire as temperatures breached 40 degrees.
The hottest place is recorded as the baseline, and assigned the value of zero, and the temperatures of other places were compared to that. By looking at the data the cooling effects of trees and green spaces is evident. The study shows the hottest areas are in the city centre, where there are little of either. Moving outwards across Birmingham areas with parks are recorded as cooler. The research also found that air pollution is worse in the hottest areas with fewer green spaces.
Campaigner for Birmingham Friends of the Earth Libby Harris said: “Birmingham prides itself on the huge number of trees and green open spaces that exist across the city, but this coverage is not consistent. There are large areas of the inner city which do not have access to green space and lack in tree cover. What is also most apparent about this is that very often these are the most deprived areas of the city where these natural air conditioners and providers of shade and peace are most needed.
“Birmingham has given up much too much space to the car and as such is dominated by road danger and poor air quality. This space needs to be repurposed and given back to the residents of the city and to nature.
“While much of the city centre has been pedestrianised it is lacking in nature and many high-rise residential developments are in construction with little consideration for nature and biodiversity. A new city plan is in formulation and much more attention to the role of nature and tree cover must be a key plank of the future planning of the city.” Here are the 10 hottest areas in Birmingham:
1. Smithfield
Smithfield, where many city centre events are hosted including the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham Pride and Birmingham Beach - is the hottest part of Birmingham and is classified as 0. It appearsin dark red where there are little trees and green spaces. (Photo by Getty Images/Robert Cianflone / Staff)
2. Church of St Paul, St Paul’s Square, Jewellery Quarter
St. Paul’s appears lighter than red on the map due to the green space around the church. It is 0.394 degrees cooler than Smithfield. (Photo - Google Maps)
3. St. Phillip’s Cathedral, Birmingham city centre
St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Birmingham city centre is surrounded by buildings but appears slightly lighter than red due to the trees in Cathedral Square also knownas Pigeon Park. It is 0.394 degrees cooler than Smithfield.(Photo - Local TV)
4. Kingston Hill Local Park
Moving outwards, the city park such as Kingston Hill Local Park in Bordesley, appears lighter. It is 0.788 degrees cooler than Smithfield. (Photo - Google Maps)