Heatwave vulnerability is not uniform across a city. A 2026 study of Bilbao, Madrid and Cáceres assessed it building by building and open space by open space, and found that vulnerability differs from one location to another, shaped by who lives in an area, what the buildings are like, how hot the surroundings get, and what green space or shade is nearby. The authors say the resulting maps can help municipalities decide where adaptation should start. The public announcement does not report numerical effect sizes, and it does not show that the maps have reduced heat exposure or illness.
What the study measured
The paper is titled “Assessing urban heatwave vulnerability through a multiscale and multicriteria GIS-based approach: Evidence from three Spanish cities.” It was written by Laura Quesada-Ganuza, Irantzu Álvarez González, Ane Villaverde García and Leire Garmendia Arrieta, and published in the journal Cities in 2026 under DOI 10.1016/j.cities.2026.107514. The University of the Basque Country (EHU) announced the work on October 7, 2026, distributed through Newswise.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The team behind it is the SAREN group (Sustainable And Resilient built ENvironment) at the University of the Basque Country. The work sits within the OLADAPT project, carried out with the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the University of Extremadura and the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Development and Environmental Education at EHU. The project is funded by Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe method was applied in three cities that the announcement says sit in different climate zones: Bilbao, Madrid and Cáceres. The unit of analysis was the individual building and open space, not the city as a whole or a district average. That granularity is the main design choice of the study.
#1 Best Overall
- NEWEST HIGH-TECH COOLER PLATES, 1S COOL DOWN 30℉！ Don't have AC but want to stay cool & unboiled in this sweaty summer? This neck fan air conditioner is the genius solution! Built-in ceramic semiconductors radiators are what make EGOPP separate from others. The groundbreaking cooling technology cools down the temperature by 30℉ in just 1S, instantly bringing you a constant ice-like sensation. Let go of those neck fans that just blow around hot air, EGOPP gives you the ultimate cooling feeling!
- 360° SURROUNDING, ALL-ENCOMPASSING COOLER AIRFLOW! Unlike other personal fans that only have 20-30 vents, EGOPP portable fans that blow cold air are composed of 40 vents with 4 air ducts, producing both upward and downward flows. The wrap-around design ensures that cool air 360° surrounds you evenly without blowing directly toward your face. An upgraded dual turbine increases air volume by 50% and produces higher-speed airflow. It's definitely a godsend that saves you from the freakish heatwave!
- LIGHT & ADJUSTABLE FOR ANYONE TO ENJOY COOL ANYWHERE! Thanks to the hands-free design and 389 ounces light weight, you can easily take EGOPP neck fan anywhere! The soft silicone makes the neck cooler 0-170° flexibly adjusted that fits all neck sizes, it‘s also comfortable and non-slip. Sitting stably around your neck, this wearable air conditioner feels like your own personal soldier, tirelessly piercing through the scorching air to give you icy relief. It's not just a fan but a game-changer!
- QUIETER THAN WHISPER, GIVE YOU UP TO 8H COOLING! Built-in 4000mah high-capacity battery, this bladeless neck fan can last up to 8.3 hours using(different in 3 fan modes)! Whether you're cooking over a hot stove, gardening under a cloudless sky, or running under the summer sun, the cool breeze is following your every step, you're no longer a sweaty mess for an entire day! Moreover, the upgraded motor of the neck fans lowers the noise to 30db, making you enjoy quieter-than-a-whisper cooling!
- COOLEST GIFT – HASSLE-FREE AFTER-SALES SERVICE! Beat the heatwave this summer with the EGOPP neck AC air conditioner! Enjoy ultimate personal cooling for office, travel, outdoor sports, camping, climbing, and more – the perfect gift for anyone on any occasion. Tip: Cooling and wind effectiveness may vary depending on individual sensitivity, environment, and usage settings. If you’re not satisfied, contact us for a hassle-free refund or replacement.
Why vulnerability differs within a city
The study treats heatwave risk as multidimensional. In the words of Irantzu Álvarez, “The risk posed by heatwaves is not measured solely by temperature; it has multiple dimensions.” Laura Quesada described the approach as measuring “the vulnerability of each of the city’s buildings and open spaces in Bilbao, Madrid and Cáceres.”
The assessment combines the following dimensions, as described in the announcement:
Rank #2
- Shark ChillPill is the only 3-in-1 fan, mist, and InstaChill personal cooling system. It can be worn, attached, or twisted for hands-free tabletop mode. Hack the heat indoors and outdoors with long-lasting battery built for on-the-go cooling.
- The Only Cooling System: InstaChill cryo plate for contact-based relief that drops skin temperature up to 16°F, high-speed fan for sustained airflow, and dry-touch mist for instant refresh indoors and out — no other personal cooler does all three.
- Drop 16°F in Seconds On Contact: Press the cryo-inspired InstaChill Cooling Plate to your skin for immediate relief. Perfect for hot flashes, motion-heavy moments, post-workout, travel days, and every time the heat arrives without warning.
- 10 Speeds, 10 Noise Levels: Dial in your speed and customize the sound, from quiet, gentle cooling to louder ambient noise for uses like strollers and more. Built for overheated commutes, packed sidelines, and anywhere you need sustained cooling fast.
- Mist That Refreshes, Not Drenches: Dry-touch evaporative mist cools skin without soaking clothes or surfaces — indoors or outdoors. Choose constant or interval mode. Easy-fill reservoir refills wherever you are. (Pro tip: interval mode stretches your mist further on long days out.)
| Dimension | What the study considers |
|---|---|
| Heat exposure | Areas experiencing higher temperatures, and the number of people affected |
| Building and urban form | Urban form and building characteristics |
| Socioeconomic vulnerability | Socioeconomic variables and residents’ capacity to protect themselves |
| Environmental context | Surrounding environmental variables, such as green areas and shade |
The table lists what the study measures, not how each factor was weighted or how the cities compare. The announcement does not give the weights or a city-by-city score.
What the study found
According to the announcement, socioeconomic conditions and urban fabric influence vulnerability in all three cities. People with low incomes and older people are identified as more vulnerable. The announcement also stresses that conditions can change from one location to another inside the same city, including within a single neighborhood. That is the central finding behind the headline: a map of a city’s average risk would hide differences that matter at street level.
Rank #3
- Shark ChillPill is the only 3-in-1 fan, mist, and InstaChill personal cooling system. It can be worn, attached, or twisted for hands-free tabletop mode. Hack the heat indoors and outdoors with long-lasting battery built for on-the-go cooling.
- The Only Cooling System: InstaChill cryo plate for contact-based relief that drops skin temperature up to 16°F, high-speed fan for sustained airflow, and dry-touch mist for instant refresh indoors and out — no other personal cooler does all three.
- Drop 16°F in Seconds On Contact: Press the cryo-inspired InstaChill Cooling Plate to your skin for immediate relief. Perfect for hot flashes, motion-heavy moments, post-workout, travel days, and every time the heat arrives without warning.
- 10 Speeds, 10 Noise Levels: Dial in your speed and customize the sound, from quiet, gentle cooling to louder ambient noise for uses like strollers and more. Built for overheated commutes, packed sidelines, and anywhere you need sustained cooling fast.
- Mist That Refreshes, Not Drenches: Dry-touch evaporative mist cools skin without soaking clothes or surfaces — indoors or outdoors. Choose constant or interval mode. Easy-fill reservoir refills wherever you are. (Pro tip: interval mode stretches your mist further on long days out.)
The announcement does not report numerical effect sizes, and it does not rank Bilbao, Madrid and Cáceres against each other. Any statement that one of the three cities is more vulnerable than another would go beyond what the public material supports.
How the maps are meant to be used
The authors describe three planning uses for the building-level results:
Rank #4
- 3S Fast Heating, Instant Warmth: Powerful 1400 watt Brushless DC motor heating element allows this space heaters for indoor use quickly heat up to 70°F in 3 seconds, 80°widespread oscillation portable heater rotates from side to side to generates more effective, immediate and evenly warmth for your surroundings, guards your family's warmth and happiness in winter. There are 3 modes of our heated fan, including low, high heating settings and fan only.
- Soft & Strong Wind Like Nature: The swing tower fan uses a large-diameter centrifugal wind wheel to rotate at a high speed to supply strong power. The wind is cut into more bundles and the airflow is more delicate. The tower fan has 8 adjustable wind speeds, you can touch the button on the surface to control the speed. The cooling fan also equipped with a remote control, so you can easily control the speed of the wind in the home, office, sofa or bedroom, and enjoy the coolness anytime, anywhere.
- 80°Oscillating, Quick Cooling and Heater: Experience the heat that envelopes you in the widest way possible. 80°wide-angle oscillation sweeps around to cover the whole area, providing wide-reaching heat and cool for your bedroom, garage, basement, office, desktop, etc. Cooling up to 40W; Warm up to 1400W.
- Leafless Design, Protect Family: This desktop tower fan can provide fresh air without rotating the blades, the leafless design will not hurt your baby and pet, it is an ideal summer/winter must-have for families with children and pets. Easy to clean, just wipe the surface with a rag. This bladeless tower fan with space heater will accompany you the whole cool summer and cold winter!
- Quiet and Evenly Breeze: This powerful yet silent floor fan is expertly engineered to produce little noise(only 40-50dB) that won’t disturb your sleep; built-in timer can be set from 1 to 9 hours for a good night’s sleep or nap during nights. The LED will automatically turn off after 30 seconds.
- Setting an order of priority. Identifying which buildings or building types should be adapted first.
- Reading buildings in their context. Recognizing that a building’s vulnerability is tied to the public realm around it, so that green areas and shade change what adaptation can achieve.
- Comparing areas within a city. Using the spatial detail to see where conditions differ from one block to the next, rather than relying on a single citywide figure.
These are stated intentions for the maps. The public announcement does not say that any of the three cities has adopted the maps, carried out renovations because of them, or measured a health benefit that followed.
What the public material does not establish
- Validation. The announcement does not describe how the model was validated.
- Uncertainty. No uncertainty analysis is reported in the public material.
- Variable weights. How each dimension was weighted in the final score is not stated.
- City-level results. No city-by-city scores appear in the announcement.
Readers who need these details should consult the full paper through the DOI above. Until those sections are checked, treat the method as described at the level of the dimensions listed in this article, not as a tested tool with known accuracy.
Best Value
- 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: The DREO misting fan achieve 5 °F cooling, boosts airflow to 26 ft/s and 512 CFM, delivering instant relief and lasting comfort even on the hottest days.
- 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Powered by 1.7 MHz ultrasonic tech, this cooling fans that blows cold air offer a cool, refreshing breeze without adding moisture to you or your surroundings.
- 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁: With optimized airflow design, the evaporative air cooler runs at just 20 dB, offering a soothing cool breeze without interrupting sleep or work.
- 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: The 1.3L visible tank of the misting fan delivers 12 hours of cooling—enough for a full workday or night’s sleep. Check water levels at a glance and enjoy uninterrupted comfort without constant refills.
- 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶-𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The portable oscillation fan lets you choose from 5 precise horizontal angles (30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, and 150°) and a 30° vertical tilt, giving you full control over airflow direction to match your cooling needs.
Questions to ask about your own city
The study offers a useful checklist for anyone trying to find out whether their local heat planning looks below the neighborhood level:
- Does the city assess heat vulnerability for individual buildings and open spaces, or only for districts?
- Are residents’ income and age, and their ability to protect themselves from heat, included in the assessment?
- Are existing green areas and shade considered when deciding which buildings to adapt first?
- Is there a published method, and does it say how the variables were weighted?
A city that can answer “yes” to all four is using the kind of multidimensional approach the study describes. A city that cannot has not necessarily failed; it may simply not have published its method.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
