Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, heat preparedness is becoming an urgent issue for the future in Germany too, affecting urban, densely populated areas in particular. Heat stress reduces quality of life by impairing general well-being and posing serious risks to human health. Record-breaking heatwaves have become more frequent in recent years, leading to prolonged heatwaves in Germany.
Due to the structural and thermal characteristics of urban development and its composition, cities are particularly affected by heat stress. Cities are therefore facing a wide range of negative impacts, which now confront local authorities with new challenges regarding the implementation of adaptation measures and strategies. In particular, targeted, comprehensive heat mitigation measures that span sectors and administrative levels present a challenge. Urban Heat Labs builds on this to strengthen heat mitigation as a cross-cutting area of action.
Urban Heat Labs forms part of the BMWSB’s overarching heat protection strategy and is funded under the ExWoSt programme. It focuses on strategic planning and communication processes for implementing heat mitigation measures at city, neighbourhood and building levels. The aim is to develop transferable solutions and make them accessible to relevant stakeholders through knowledge transfer. As part of this, the aim is also to strengthen the integration and engagement of stakeholders in the field of heat preparedness. The objective is to reduce barriers to the implementation of heat preparedness measures in the future. The findings of the research project will thus make a significant contribution to heat-adapted planning at various scales.
A central component of the project are the seven pilot projects, which will receive expert support during the research project period in the implementation of various heat-related preventive measures. The project itself is divided into a total of 10 modules. IREUS is specifically involved in the following:
- Module 8 focuses on reviewing the current state of research into heat-related prevention at national level. It involves a cross-sectional analysis of around 20 research projects on the subject, examining aspects such as barriers, success factors, tools and measures.
- Module 9 examines around 20 good national and international case studies on heat preparedness, highlighting innovative yet transferable measures and strategies. The content of this module builds on that of the previous module.
- Module 10 comprises short expert reports that address selected issues within the research field. These reports focus on issues relating to vulnerable groups and the tools required for implementation.
Project partners:
- agl | Hartz • Saad • Wendl - Landschafts-, Stadt- und Raumplanung (project lead)
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörn Birkmann
- Institute for Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS), University of Stuttgart
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Pfafferott, Offenburg University of Applied Sciences
- feinware | raum für gestaltung _ Sandra Anstätt
Funding:
- Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)
- Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB)
- Research program: Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau (ExWoSt) & Initiative Grün in der Stadt
Project duration:
2024 – 2027
Further information:
https://www.bbsr.bund.de/BBSR/DE/forschung/programme/exwost/jahr/2024/urban-heat-labs/01-start.html
Contact: