Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Chicago When It Sizzles

Jul 1, 2022

In this discussion, sociologist Eric Klinenberg delves into the devastating 1995 Chicago heatwave, revealing how social isolation drastically influenced the death toll in different neighborhoods. He emphasizes the critical role of community connections and the need for robust social infrastructure to combat such crises. Klinenberg also draws parallels between this historical event and contemporary challenges posed by climate change, stressing that urban planning must address not just physical but also social factors to enhance resilience.

38:22

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Episode guests

Eric Klinenberg

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Chicago's Deadly Heatwave: A Community Under Siege

3min

Heatwave Tragedy in Chicago

12min

Business Security and the Chicago Heatwave

7min

Survival in the Heat: A Tale of Two Neighborhoods

8min

The Tragic Isolation Amidst a Heatwave

5min

Heatwave Health Disparities in Chicago

5min

Heatwave Isolation and Community Resilience

6min

July 1995: A deadly heatwave gripped Chicago - bridges buckled; the power grids failed; and the morgue ran out of space - but some neighbourhoods saw more deaths than others.

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg wanted to know why. So he headed to the hardest hit districts and found that social isolation and loneliness played an unsettling role in their heavy deaths tolls.

Does the Chicago heatwave teach us that in dealing with climate change we need to consider not just physical infrastructure, but social infrastructure too?

Eric Klinenberg's classic text on the topic is called Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. For a full list of other sources go to timharford.com

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