FOR 1736:  Urban Climate and Heat Stress in Mid-latitude Cities in View of Climate Change (UCaHS)

• Subject Area: Geosciences ; Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine ; Construction Engineering and Architecture ; Biology ; Medicine ; Thermal Engineering/Process Engineering
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 197674476

The Research Unit addresses the complex scientific questions related to heat stress in mid-latitude cities by a multi- and interdisciplinary approach involving climatologists, urban geographers and hydrologists, physicians, architects, physicists and engineers, urban planners and social scientists. The causal chain of climate modifications by urban areas to heat stress hazards in outdoor environments and indoor spaces is analysed in detail. Scenario-based projections of future heat-stress hazards considering urban climate change as well as urban development paths are computed for the example of Berlin. Heat-stress risks are quantified by available observational data, in particular for specifically vulnerable groups of elderly people and patients in hospitals. In contrast to other mid-latitude cities in sub-tropical climates, air conditioning of buildings is not yet common in Berlin, such that heat-stress risks are still closely coupled to urban weather and climate. Demographic and economic developments in combination with climate change in urban areas may, however, result in more installations of air-conditioning systems if no other options for reducing heat-stress hazards will become available at feasible costs. Actions for reducing heat-stress risks in mid-latitude cities are studied with respect to their effectiveness in reducing the risks, either by reducing the hazard or the vulnerability. We also analyse side effects determining the efficiency of the respective actions. In particular, we examine actions in relation to modified building designs and technologies including facade greening, and related to modified urban patterns including open spaces and urban green. This allows us to identify those actions that create synergies between adaptation to and mitigation of climate change or co-benefits in other societal fields. Implementation of actions requires in-depth knowledge of constellations, particularly of actors, which influence the urban development. The implementation of actions is not possible without considering these constellations even when the actions themselves are effective and efficient.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Building green (Applicant Wessolek, Gerd )
• Building technologies (Applicant Ziegler, Felix )
• Constellations (Policies, Planning and Governance) (Applicants Köppel, Johann ;  Schreurs, Miranda A. )
• Indoor climate and heat stress hazard: Indoor Observations (Applicant Endlicher, Wilfried )
• Indoor simulations (Applicant Nytsch-Geusen, Christoph )
• Medical vulnerability (Applicant Witt, Christian )
• Regional climate (Applicant Grossman-Clarke, Susanne )
• Scientific co-ordination of the Research Unit (Applicant Scherer, Dieter )
• Urban climate (Applicant Scherer, Dieter )
• Urban patterns (Applicant Kleinschmit, Birgit )
• Urban vulnerability (Applicant Lakes, Tobia )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Dieter Scherer