Household accessibility to heat refuges: Residential air conditioning, public cooled space, and walkability

Access to air conditioned space has been identified as a critical protective element that can mitigate the adverse health effects of heat waves. However, there is limited knowledge of where this resource exists in cities. While many cities have deployed networks of sponsored cooling centers their location is likely to be inadequately informed with respect to the location of existing resources. This study explores the distribution of in-home air-conditioning and household access to public cooling resources in Maricopa County, AZ. There are significant variations in the distribution of private and public air conditioned space and there are areas where access to these spaces is limited which could increase health risks during periods of extreme heat.