Tokyo builds resilience to extreme weather
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In Tokyo, Japan, communities and businesses are taking steps to protect themselves from increasing heat and extreme weather.
Sakigake Japan developed an AI platform that visualises weather and flood risks, helping residents prepare for sudden downpours. The company also repurposes portable refrigeration units for emergency support, providing off-grid cooling for food and medicine when power fails. Setagaya City encourages residents to build rain gardens, small, household-level installations that collect rainwater, to reduce urban flooding and the heat island effect.
These gardens also create habitats for local wildlife and can provide water for emergencies. Eztia Materials created “HydraVolt,” a cooling fabric that lowers skin temperature by up to 10 degrees Celsius using evaporative cooling and requires no electricity. The company has tested HydraVolt in clothing for elementary school children, baseball players, and delivery drivers with positive results, suggesting it could become widely used. With rising temperatures and more frequent disasters globally, Tokyo shares its strategies for building urban resilience.
