By guest researcher Kavita Ramakrishnan:
This talk is concerned with adverse atmospheres and climates – in particular extreme heat -that impact the most marginalized in the city. Focusing on Southern urbanisms, I connect histories of colonial weather and meteorology that sought to differentiate certain kinds of bodies, to present day government plans for heat preparedness and how they account for those most at risk of thermal stress. In better understanding the relationships between urban development, heat and livelihoods, I look beyond singular narratives of heat to broader and pluralistic understandings of changing urban climates.