Abstract
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause heat-related illnesses and accelerate
death, especially in the elderly. We developed a locally-appropriate Healthy Environment Assessment
Tool, or ‘HEAT’ tool, to assess heat-health risks among communities. HEAT was co-developed with
stakeholders and practitioners/professionals from the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM), a
setting in which heat was identified as a risk in an earlier study. Feedback was used to identify
vulnerable groups and settings in RLM, consider opportunities and barriers for interventions, and
conceptualize a heat-health vulnerability assessment tool for a heat-resilient town. Using information
provided by the RLM Integrated Development Plan, the HEAT tool was applied in the form of eight
indicators relating to heat-health vulnerability and resilience and areas were evaluated at the ward
level. Indicators included population, poverty, education, access to medical facilities, sanitation and
basic services, public transport, recreation/community centres, and green spaces. Out of 45 wards
situated in the municipality, three were identified as critical risk (red), twenty-eight as medium-high
risk (yellow), and six as low risk (green) in relation to heat-health vulnerability. Short-term actions
to improve heat health resilience in the community were proposed and partnerships between local
government and the community to build heat health resilience were identified.