CBD is hottest area in S’pore, Upper Peirce Reservoir Park is coolest: Study of urban heat – Mothership.SG – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

While Singapore is known for its hot climate, not all parts of the sunny island are built the same.

A recent study revealed that the Central Business District (CBD) is one of the warmest regions in Singapore, while Upper Peirce Reservoir Park is one of the coolest.

Between them, the temperature difference can be as high as 6.5°C.

Hottest areas are in CBD

To investigate temperature differences around Singapore, sustainable development consultancy Arup looked at a particular day — May 13, 2022.

While May is usually a warm month, on that day, Singapore also recorded its highest ever temperature for the month at 36.7°C.

The warmest spot in Singapore was in the CBD.

The study noted that the area has 92 per cent hard, impermeable surface cover, and only six per cent vegetation cover.

These factors, along with its densely packed tall buildings and a high population density, lead to the CBD experiencing the most severe Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.

The UHI effect describes the phenomenon where urban areas are warmer than rural areas due to heat generated from human activities and urban structures such as buildings, roads and vehicles trapping and releasing heat into the environment.

On May 13, 2022, the UHI effect raised temperatures at the CBD by 6°C.

Not just high rise areas

Because of the UHI effect, areas with tall, closely packed buildings like Raffles Place, Shenton Way and Lau Pa Sat were warmer.

But the study also discovered that areas from historical low-rise…