Cross-scale heat-related health risks in the built environment: a scoping review

Overview

This project contributes to a scoping review on how heat-related health risks are studied across scales of the built environment, from building, street and neighbourhood conditions to urban systems and population-level exposure. The review will examine how different studies conceptualise heat risk, measure exposure and vulnerability, and connect environmental conditions with health, comfort, behaviour and design responses.

The main review will begin in August, with an initial conference paper planned for November. The VRES student will join from November to support the expansion of the work towards a journal manuscript. Their role will focus on updating and extending the literature search, assisting with screening and data extraction, coding key themes, preparing evidence maps, and helping synthesise findings on cross-scale relationships between built environment conditions and heat-related health risk.

Research engagement

The student will engage with literature on urban overheating, building and urban microclimate, heat exposure, health vulnerability, thermal comfort, climate adaptation and built environment design. They will learn how scoping reviews are structured and how evidence is systematically identified, screened, coded and synthesised for publication.

Research activities

The student will work with Dr Kun Lyu and the project team to support the journal-paper development stage of the scoping review. Activities will include updating search results, assisting with title/abstract and full-text screening, extracting study information, coding built environment scales, heat-risk indicators, methods and design responses, preparing summary tables or evidence maps, and contributing to visual material and manuscript development.

Research skills

The student will gain skills in systematic literature searching, scoping review methods, research screening, data extraction, thematic coding, evidence mapping, academic synthesis, visual communication and journal-paper preparation.

Outcomes

The project will produce an updated review database, evidence maps of cross-scale heat-related health risk research, summary tables of methods and indicators, and visual materials for a journal manuscript. These outputs will contribute to a scoping review paper on heat-related health risks across built environment scales.

Skills and experience

This project is suited to students in architecture, built environment, urban design, planning, public health, environmental science, data science or related fields. Interest in urban heat, climate adaptation, environmental health, thermal comfort or evidence synthesis is desirable. Prior experience with literature reviews, reference management, coding or data visualisation would be useful but is not essential.

Start date

2 November, 2026

End date

19 February, 2027

Location

Brisbane

Keywords

• urban overheating
• climate adaptation
• thermal resilience
• indoor overheating
• thermal comfort

Contact

Kun Lyu

0410152820

kun.lyu@qut.edu.au