Enhancing ICT utilisation for urban extreme heat adaptation: Perspectives from Southeast Asia

Extreme heat is becoming an increasingly significant public health hazard, necessitating urgent adaptation, particularly in developing tropical countries with limited adaptive capacity. This paper investigates how information and communication technologies (ICTs) mobilise extreme heat adaptation in urban Southeast Asia, employing 27 semi-structured expert interview data that have been inductively analysed. We found that the primary actors in these efforts often include individuals from health, education, and meteorological agencies, collaborating with private and regional organisations. Public engagement is crucial in these efforts. We also identify the drivers of ICT utilisation in the context of extreme heat adaptation, which mostly involve reactive efforts with limited official government recognition of this hazard and fragmented stakeholder contributions. Collectively, these factors hinder the effective integration of ICTs in heat adaptation. In light of these findings, we advocate for the proactive use of ICTs to increase awareness, promote efficient government coordination, provide policy recommendations, and support future research on ICT-driven, community-led heat adaptation, thereby enhancing and bolstering proactive community resilience.