Boundaries of the Northward Season--A Portrait of the City in 2050

Boundaries of the Northward Season--A Portrait of the City in 2050

The mid-latitudes of North America, the Mediterranean, the Sahel of Africa, and the deep Amazon of South America are expected to become increasingly arid and extremely hot with increasing frequency, making it difficult for people to continue their lives and livelihoods. Over the next three decades, the number of heat waves will increase and billions of people could be affected. The effects of urban heat exhaustion will be exacerbated, and urban heat is projected to be about triple that of the 1980s. Subtropical zones will expand and climate zones will move northward at high latitudes by a thousand kilometers, changing habitats for plants and animals and suitable agricultural areas.

Climate change projections for individual cities indicate that London will become warm and dry like Barcelona, Moscow will become like Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and Tokyo will become hot and humid, similar to Changsha in Hunan Province, China. These changes will mean hotter summers and a transformation in the seasonality of dry and humid climates, forcing a fundamental rethinking of urban design and lifestyles. There is an urgent need to strengthen resilience by introducing insulation, solar shading, nighttime ventilation, and cool roofs; developing green shade and waterfront spaces; and addressing water supply, medical care, and power outages. Labor productivity declines on extremely hot days, and higher minimum temperatures at night may increase health hazards. The burden on transportation and power infrastructure will also increase, requiring adaptation measures throughout the social system, such as reevaluation of suitable residential areas and reorganization of wor
king hours.