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CoolTown (CoolTown)

Project CoolTown

The aim of the project is to record and analyse the characteristics of urban heat islands on the basis of thermal satellite data in Hessian municipalities with a population of 20,000 or more. The information obtained will be processed in cartographic form and made available to planners and decision-makers in an “easy-to-use” format. The project results can thus contribute to the development of suitable mitigation and adaptation measures to increase heat resilience.

Background and goals

The steadily increasing world population is leading to sufficient urbanisation. Denser and larger cities are subject to a phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island (UHI), which is characterised by increased temperatures in relation to the rural environment. UHI effects can have a negative impact on the health of the urban population, for example in the form of heat stress. Urban green spaces such as parks and avenues, on the other hand, offer a cooling potential that can reduce the ambient temperatures of these areas.

However, anthropogenic climate change brings with it extreme weather events such as droughts and heatwaves, which are increasing in intensity and frequency. While heat waves intensify the already existing UHI effects, urban green spaces are exposed to additional drought stress during periods of drought, which reduces their cooling effect. This increases the exposure of the very old population in particular to heat stress and can ultimately lead to circulatory diseases and death, as was observed in the heatwaves of 2003 and 2018, for example.

Planners are therefore faced with the challenge of increasing the heat resilience of their cities. By processing thermal satellite data, we want to provide information on cold and hot spots in Hessian cities and municipalities to support decision-making processes regarding suitable mitigation and adaptation measures. In this way, we hope to contribute to increasing the resilience of Hessian cities to drought and heat stress and to prepare both the population and green spaces for the imminent dangers of climate change.

Expected results

The results will mainly be prepared in cartographic form and made available in an “easy to use” format for planners and decision-makers. The focus is on the following thematic priorities:

  • Surface Urban Heat Island and Urban Thermal Field Variance Index
  • Cooling potential and dry vulnerability of urban green spaces
  • Heat vulnerability of the urban population