Locations of cooling centers according to spatial patterns of heatwave vulnerability and elderly inhabitants of administrative districts in Seoul

The impacts of heatwaves exacerbated by climate change are particularly severe in densely populated cities with high-rise buildings, where vulnerable groups such as the elderly are at the greatest risk of adverse effects. Seoul, Korea, has implemented policies to address heatwave-related risks, with the establishment of cooling centers as a key initiative to reduce heatwave vulnerability. However, analysis of the effectiveness of these cooling centers for mitigating heatwave-related impacts has been limited. In particular, studies that integrate spatial analysis with the distribution of the elderly population in the context of heatwave vulnerability remain scarce. In this study, we empirically evaluate the effectiveness of Seoul's cooling center policy by conducting spatial analysis using data illustrating heatwave vulnerability and the spatial distribution of elderly inhabitants, including those living alone, across 423 administrative districts. We assessed the heatwave vulnerability of each district and calculated the capacity of cooling centers. We used visual mapping and LISA analysis via QGIS to examine the spatial alignment between cooling center locations and the distribution of the elderly population. The results indicate that the current locations of cooling centers do not sufficiently account for the distribution of the elderly population in areas with high heatwave vulnerability. This finding underscores the need for better-targeted policies at the district level. We provide policy insights by presenting empirical evidence through spatial analysis and visualization, offering recommendations for more effective placement of cooling centers.