Climate Adaptation - Cooling neighborhoods

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Climate Adaptation - Cooling neighborhoods

2425 s1 - Climate Adaptation - Cooling neighborhoods

Europe is warming at twice the global average, posing risks to public health, productivity, and urban ecosystems. The Cool Neighbourhoods project aims to mitigate heat stress by transforming 30,000 m² of public space through greening initiatives, enhancing health, recreation, and social connections. With €9.3 million in funding, including support from Interreg, the project will develop Neighbourhood Heat-Stress Action Plans (NHSAPs) and implement innovative solutions with 12 partners. The research focuses on identifying green, blue, and grey insights and selecting a citizen science method applicable across pilot countries to reduce the heat island effect and improve liveability.

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Project description:	Europe is warming at twice the global average, posing risks to public health, productivity, and urban ecosystems. The Cool Neighbourhoods project aims to mitigate heat stress by transforming 30,000 m² of public space through greening initiatives, enhancing health, recreation, and social connections. With €9.3 million in funding, including support from Interreg, the project will develop Neighbourhood Heat-Stress Action Plans (NHSAPs) and implement innovative solutions with 12 partners. The research focuses on identifying green, blue, and grey insights and selecting a citizen science method applicable across pilot countries to reduce the heat island effect and improve liveability. Research Question: How can proposed methods analyze neighbourhood typologies against heat stress and improve liveability in the Cool Neighbourhoods project? The following subquestions were made: How can green/blue/grey indices identify heat stress risks and opportunities? How can field research provide insights into pilot areas? Which citizen science method best suits each neighbourhood typology?
Outcomes:	Using tools like GIS, neighbourhoods were mapped to identify green, blue, and grey elements in each pilot area. Analysis shows that densely populated areas with more grey spaces are more vulnerable to heat stress. Field research provided insights from residents, revealing mixed opinions on heat stress impact but a shared desire for more green spaces. To address this, three citizen science methods—participatory, collaborative, and co-produced—were matched to different neighbourhood typologies. The Green Hub aligns with co-produced methods, Inner City suits a collaborative approach, and Social Deprivation benefits most from participatory methods. Combining these approaches enables a deeper analysis of both quantitative and qualitative aspects while uncovering meaningful contradictions.
Commissioned for:

User:Jasper van den Heuvel (STKH 00515)
User:Jean-Marie (STKH 00515)