On 7 October 2025, Planact hosted a site visit for the MICE RIoT Project, joined by VITO, our technical partner in this heat monitoring project. The visit aimed to showcase the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors installed in participants’ homes and to give VITO, based in Belgium, a firsthand understanding of the extreme heat conditions experienced by vulnerable communities.
The visit began in Wattville, City of Ekurhuleni, where community leaders guided the team through two homes with different housing typologies. This provided valuable insight into how building characteristics in older neighbourhoods can influence indoor temperature and mitigate heat stress. The IoT sensors were installed across various housing types — from older brick-and-mortar houses to newer backyard rental units and corrugated iron structures.
The team then visited the Choba community in the City of Tshwane, where residents shared how they cope with heat using limited resources and local strategies. The exchange deepened understanding of how heat impacts daily life and inspired reflections on potential climate adaptation measures.
Initial findings from the visit revealed a striking difference: homes in Choba were, on average, six degrees hotter than those in Wattville, highlighting the urgent need for innovative and context-specific solutions to urban heat challenges, particularly for low-income communities.