By Pallavi Rathod, AIDMI, India

Extreme heat is increasingly reshaping the working conditions of women engaged in informal urban livelihoods. Street vendors, home-based workers, waste pickers, and market sellers often depend on public spaces to sustain their income, and rising temperatures are making these environments more difficult and unsafe. Protecting women’s safety must therefore become an integral part of urban heat resilience planning.

First, cities need to map unsafe hotspots around markets, vending clusters, bus stops, and water points where women face heightened risks of harassment during heatwaves. Women’s lived experiences should guide this mapping so that planners can identify where heat stress and protection risks intersect.

Second, safe and gender-sensitive cooling shelters should be established close to livelihood areas. These shelters must ensure adequate lighting, privacy, safe entry points, and women-led management so that cooling spaces also provide a sense of safety and dignity.

Third, safe vending zones that combine shade structures, drinking water, sanitation facilities, and grievance redressal mechanisms can reduce both heat stress and exposure to harassment.

Fourth, women’s participation in Heat Action Plans and city resilience planning must be strengthened so that policies reflect the realities of those working outdoors.

Finally, anticipatory action and early warning systems should consider livelihood safety, helping women adjust working hours and access cooling support during extreme heat events.