Be Ready cities develop their first urban heat island assessments

Cities increasingly experience heat extremes and urban heat islands (UHI). However, they cannot fight urban heat effectively, unless they know which areas within the city have higher surface heat concentration, which neighbourhoods and population groups are most affected. Effective place-based policies and actions require a deeper understanding of temperature variations and their urban distribution. Each city is unique and urban adaptation pilots and plans must consider their own space and geography to target high-exposure areas and vulnerable neighbourhoods effectively.

Sofia, Chisinau, Galati, Niš, Zenica, Podgorica, Ratiboř, Kranj, Varazdin and Heviz applied the UHI risk assessment methodology, developed by Be Ready research partners, to identify data sources, to analyse them according to the four methodology assessment tools, to identify the most vulnerable groups and territories. The city assessments were colaborative and participatory processes, including the stakeholders and citizens in various ways – focus groups, city walks, discussion forums, questionnaires.

This research will help local authorities to develop practical pilots and cost-effective policies to better manage extreme heat as global average temperatures rise.

All city UHI assessment reports are available in the Library section.