I get that a lot of houses in Europe don't have built-in air conditioning.
What I don't get is the argument that houses built to hold in heat in winter are inherently hard to cool. Insulation works both ways? In Texas, we want as much insulation as possible!
I get it's an infrastructure problem but it's one that has been staring Europe in the face for decades.
It depends...
In Ukraine, for example Kyiv, apartment blocks are all covered with AC units. I'd say they'd rather have AC than thermal insulation.
In Poland, for example Warsaw, you won't see that many ACs (if any), but most buildings should have thermal insulation.
Thermal insulation should prevent heat from coming in. As somebody mentioned, windows may let sunlight = heat, but newer buildings have windows with reflective layer. It doesn't stop much light, but helps with heat. I have blinds with reflective layer in my bedrooms and they are super effective.
There's law encouraging building new houses with heat pumps and passive cooling features. For those who can afford building a new house...
Nowhere Girl
Zośka ⚛