A group of SMU researchers is on a mission to find out what makes pockets of the city cooler and more comfortable, and how more of them can be created. The researchers are part of Cooling Singapore, a research initiative looking into how the urban heat challenge here can be addressed. SMU Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society Winston Chow, a Cooling Singapore principal investigator, said, "We've seen how thermal comfort outdoors in Singapore can vary sharply in a matter of metres - due to changes in shade or wind speed - and we need to ascertain how well (climate) models simulate these real-life changes." SMU post-doctoral research fellow Dr Peter Crank who is also involved in the project said, "Such data could provide city planners and urban developers with a better idea of what materials or structures to avoid using or to use less of to improve thermal comfort."