Planning under pressure to tackle rising heat risk

Key points

• Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural hazard, and a Townsville botanist has redesigned his home to stay cool without air conditioning. Advocates want Queensland's planning rules to treat heat as a natural hazard, as cities become more densely built.
• The Planning Institute of Australia says heat is harder to map than floods or bushfires. The new draft State Planning Policy lists reducing urban heat islands as a priority.
• Architects argue that building codes need to allow more passive, power-free cooling designs.