A cooling center is an

air-conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

public or private space to temporarily deal with the adverse health effects of extreme heat weather conditions, like the ones caused by

heat wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

s. Cooling centers are one of the possible mitigation strategies to prevent

hyperthermia Hyperthermia, also known as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme te ...

caused by heat, humidity, and poor

air quality Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

. As the danger of heat waves has risen in the public consciousness, cooling centers are increasingly used in larger cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Toronto, as well as less urban population areas. Cooling centers may also be used in places like

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and Seattle where home air conditioning is rare but summer can bring temperatures exceeding for several days. Similarly, during the 2018 heat wave and fires that reached northern Scandinavia, a supermarket in Finland was temporarily used as a cooling center. As various studies have projected more intense, more frequent, and longer-lasting heat waves in the future, many

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and

federal governments Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

in the US would be including cooling centers as part of their heat adaptation strategy and

warning system A warning system is any system of biological or technical nature deployed by an individual or group to inform of a future danger. Its purpose is to enable the deployer of the warning system to prepare for the danger and act accordingly to mitig ...

Organization and ownership

Formal

In general, formal or official cooling centers are implemented and operated by a variety of local actors such as municipalities, fire departments, county agencies, and non-profit organizations. They are usually sited at multiple locations throughout a municipality, such as

public libraries ''Public Libraries'' is the official publication of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is devoted exclusively to public libraries. The print edition is published six times a year and i ...

community centers A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

senior centers A senior center (or senior centre or older adult center) is a type of community center where older adults congregate for fellowship with others to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. A regular part of senio ...

, and

police stations A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...

. Another health measure sometimes taken during heat waves is to extend operational hours at public

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

and

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

s. Some cities, particularly Barcelona, Spain, have recently instated a network of

climate shelters Climate shelters are a place of refuge for populations that seek shelter from extreme climate events exacerbated by the effects of urban heat islands. They include cooling centers, but also encompass parks and other outdoor spaces designed to provid ...

, which are broader forms of cooling shelters that aim to provide refuge from extreme weather events as the effects of climate change worsen. Cooling centers provide shade, water, and restrooms; medical attention and referrals to social services may also be offered. Their services are aimed at the

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

, those without access to adequate air conditioning and at-risk populations such as the elderly, children and those with mental disability or chronic medical conditions.

Informal

Informal cooling centers are places such as

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

s, markets, pools, recreation centers or businesses that people use during extreme heat. A

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

study published online in January 2023 in the journal ''

Applied Geography ''Applied Geography'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published quarterly by Elsevier. The journal covers research that applies geographic methods to solve human problems, including human geography, physical geography, and geographical infor ...

'' analyzed smartphone data to examine how formal and informal cooling centers were being used in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. Researchers found that overall, about 20% of the population used cooling centers. Of the population that used cooling centers, 90% used 610 shopping malls and other informal cooling centers in the study rather than county cooling centers (10%).

References

{{List of heat waves, state=autocollapse * Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning Public health in the United States

Organization and ownership

Formal

Informal

See also

References