Intern
Geolingual Studies

New publication: "From Measured to Experienced Heat: A Multimodal Analysis of Temperature, Urban Form, and Social Media in Mexico City"

09.09.2026

Urban heat is often studied through what we can measure physically: air temperature, land surface temperature, or urban form. But these measurements don't directly capture how people experience heat and the challenges they face. Other approaches use surveys and interviews to assess heat perception and social impacts, but these perspectives are often studied separately from the physical context in which they occur in cities.

In our new paper, we combined geolocated social media data with air and land surface temperature, Local Climate Zones (LCZ), and census data to connect the physical and social dimensions of urban heat. We found that, above 25°C, the number of heat-related posts on social media increased exponentially, with more posts coming from hotter and denser LCZs. What people talked about was especially revealing. Heat was linked to health problems, harassment, air pollution, public transport, working conditions, clothing, inequality, and impacts on animals.

Women reported facing harassment while wearing lighter clothes to cope with the heat, which turned a basic adaptation strategy into an additional problem for them. Others described not being allowed to wear shorts at work despite extreme heat, while some argued that temperatures were so high that work should simply stop. Posts also mentioned insomnia, physical and emotional distress, unbearable conditions on public transport, and animals struggling without access to water.

These results show why it is so important to move from measured to experienced heat. Remote sensing and meteorological observations can tell us where and when extreme heat occurs in cities. Social data can complement them by helping us understand what that heat means for the people experiencing it. Bringing these perspectives together can help move urban climate research and adaptation beyond mapping exposure toward understanding the everyday challenges heat creates for different urban populations.