Too hot to play: are playgrounds in Western Sydney becoming unusable with urban overheating?

Published on the 26 February 2026

Playground at North Rocks Park. Photo: Supplied.

Understanding how urban heat impacts playground use enables more climate-conscious design.

More climate-responsive designs are needed to protect communities from heat and UV radiation in Western Sydney playgrounds, according to a UNSW-partnered pilot study.

Extreme surface temperatures, ultraviolet index and heat stress levels were recorded in four parks in Parramatta’s local government area, posing health risks and reducing park visitation, says project co-lead Associate Professor Riccardo Paolini from UNSW’s School of Built Environment.

The study, Too hot to play: Quantifying the impacts of urban climate change on playground activity, measured patterns of use and temperature and humidity over a six-month period, and thermal comfort conditions and ultraviolet (UV) radiation on hot and sunny days at selected playgrounds.

These were: Binalong Park (good artificial shade); Doyle Ground (mixed artificial/natural shade); WR Musto (no shade); and North Rocks Park (limited natural shade).

The multidisciplinary UNSW research team included: Associate Professor Negin Nazarian, an urban climatologist; Professor Melissa Hart, a climatologist; and Mahya Parchami, a doctoral candidate whose PhD examines outdoor thermal comfort.

The research demonstrated that surfaces in these playgrounds can reach very high temperatures. They frequently exceeded 70°C, with some reaching more than 85°C.

“Dark soft-fall surfaces at Binalong and North Rocks Parks can reach up to 85°C, or 45-54°C above the air temperature,” A/Prof. Paolini says.

“These solar-absorptive materials are designed for safety but contribute significantly to overheating. Plus, if you touch them for just a couple of seconds, they can cause skin burns.”

The only cool surface at playgrounds is natural grass with a surface temperature close to air temperature, around 35-40°C during hot days, the study found. However, natural grass is not used near equipment, for maintenance and fall protection reasons.

“As it stands, we have children playing in conditions similar to a carpark with brand new asphalt.”

This research was co-led with Western Sydney University in partnership with the NSW Cancer Institute and Cancer Council NSW. The project was supported by the City of Parramatta Council, Parks and Open Space Planning and funded by the UNSW/WSU Alliances Project Mezze Seed Funding for Liveable Communities.

The project asked how shade and thermal environments affect playground use; whether there are conditions that preclude summer playground use; and which design solutions enable longer playground use within our warming built environments. The research data was collected over summer in 2024/25.

The research findings were shared with Parramatta City Council, with plans to share with councils more broadly, to help inform future playground renovation.

Public playgrounds are an essential part of urban social infrastructure. “They provide access to outdoor play, a basic human right, that’s essential for children’s physical and emotional development as well as opportunities to connect across genders, socio-economic status and different generations,” the research team says.

“However, with urban overheating reducing the liveability of outdoor spaces, including playgrounds, it can become simply too hot to play. When temperatures reached 30°C, playground visits sharply declined.”

Children are disproportionately affected by heat exposure at playgrounds as their bodies are less able to regulate for thermal comfort than adults when they’re active in hot conditions.

“As urban living becomes increasingly dense, playgrounds can become the only outdoor play space for some children. Prolonging their usability is urgent to promote greater equity, health and safety,” A/Prof Paolini says.

“Living outdoors is one of the great things about Australian life. But will we lose this as our cities continue to warm?”

High UV index levels and heat stress evident even within shaded areas

Air temperatures at playgrounds were consistently higher than nearby weather stations of the Bureau of Meteorology, confirming the presence of urban heat island effects, A/Prof. Paolini says.

“On a hot day, the playground sites are on average 1-1.3 °C warmer – and stay warmer for longer – than the closest weather stations.”

The research team installed on-site temperature and humidity sensors, as well as people counters that anonymously tracked the number of people accessing and using the playgrounds.

On hot days, scientific-grade environmental sensors, thermal cameras and radiometers were used to measure surface temperatures and UV exposure. “This gave us an understanding of the hotspots within each playground as well as where the most comfortable areas were.”

UV index levels regularly reached “very high” to “extreme” categories, even under partial shade during the central hours of the day, the study found.

“Insufficient or inadequate shading can lead to unnecessary UV exposure, increasing the risk of skin cancer. And while artificial and natural shading reduced UV exposure, it didn’t eliminate the need for sun protection,” he says.

“These give the illusion of protection, but on a clear sky day with a high UV intensity, the UV index can still measure 5 to 6 [moderate to high levels] even under a shade sail.”

The research revealed that even shaded areas often exceeded thresholds for strong heat stress, with unshaded areas reaching extreme heat stress levels.

The project also recorded “feels-like” temperatures, using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) that measures physical comfort in specific weather conditions. UTCI strongly impacts patterns of playground usage, he says.

“At Doyle Ground, the UTCI, or ‘feels-like’ temperature, exceeded 42°C in the sun and 36°C in the shade when the air temperature was 32°C. Because even in the shade, you still get all the thermal radiation, all the heat from all the surrounding surfaces.”

Experimental setup to measure local thermal comfort and exposure to UV radiation. Photo: Supplied.

More thermally appropriate materials and monitoring needed

The report found enhancing shade provision, selecting thermally appropriate materials, and integrating environmental monitoring can significantly improve safety, comfort and access to outdoor play.

The report recommended a mix of natural and artificial shade. “Providing shade to equipment – to slides and swings – as well as to resting areas is important, particularly areas targeted at toddlers as they’re more exposed to UV risk and thermal discomfort.

“Plus, of course, kids are moving. They're not staying still, and usually only one portion of the playground is shaded.”

Reviewing the UV transmittance of shade cloth was also recommended for future park designs to ensure adequate protection.

The Cancer Institute NSW Benchmarking Shade in NSW playgrounds research project recommends at least 70% coverage of quality shade over play equipment and nearby seating, with at least 45% of this tree shade. Ideally, trees should be to the east and west of playgrounds to offer the most shade throughout the day.

“Materials should be selected based on their optical and thermal properties, as well as ensuring common safety considerations, such as shock absorption and anti-slip surfaces,” A/Prof. Paolini says.

Artificial grass and materials that have high solar absorption should be avoided as these can reach the highest surface temperatures. Equally bare metal surfaces should not be used; metal can reflect more than 50% of UV radiation. Beyond exhibiting high surface temperatures, artificial grass also releases microplastics into the environment, as documented in a report by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer.

Playground at Binnalong Park. Photo: Supplied.

“Like natural grass, light-coloured concrete and materials with high thermal mass, such as rocks, were better at mitigating surface temperatures, measuring around 10-15°C above air temperature.”

These findings provide actionable insights for local governments, urban designers and community stakeholders to retrofit and design public play spaces, A/Prof. Paolini says.

As our summers continue to heat up, the current widespread lack of appropriate shade and use of unsuitable materials will make playground use unsafe, he says.

The pilot study provides foundational evidence for a larger research project to establish basic principles for outdoor playgrounds to remain safe for children in the face of urban overheating and consistently high UV radiation.

Every playground is different, from their location and thermal conditions to their design, demographics and shade coverage, he says. A larger-scale study would enable broader data collection to address this diversity.

“All children should have access to outdoor play. In urban areas, such as Western Sydney, access to nature can be more restricted; playgrounds are public spaces – they are accessible to everyone,” he says.

“Our research contributes to the drive for more climate-responsive designs to help future-proof playgrounds within our warming cities.”