Abstract Summary
Climate change is amplifying heat stress risks in European cities, diminishing the livability of public spaces. This issue is intensified by a lack of a spatial overview necessary for mitigating action. Heat stress disrupts crucial urban functions and poses health risks (Böcker & Thorsson, 2014; Ebi et al., 2021). Increasing urban density further exacerbates this, reducing access to thermally comfortable public spaces. Policymakers and urban planners commonly use meteorological data, remote sensing, and modelling to locate vulnerable areas. However, relying solely on these methods overlooks critical socio-environmental dynamics (Elnabawi & Hamza, 2020), complicating the prioritization of redesign efforts without a detailed overview. Within the scope of the CoolTowns Interreg project, researchers developed a methodology to map heat vulnerabilities, incorporating both meteorological insights and crucial social and environmental indicators (Spanjar et al., 2022). Researchers gained insights into key spatial and social indicators in co-creation sessions with the municipality of Breda, Netherlands. Afterward, advanced vulnerability maps were created using high-resolution (1x1 m) Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) maps to identify heat stress at the city level. Community amenities, such as medical facilities, grocery stores, schools, daycares, and primary and secondary slow-traffic routes, were identified and layered atop the PET maps. These layers combine to form a powerful tool for policymakers to locate potential focus areas for heat stress mitigation.
