The objective of the project “Urban Cool Down“ is to define new ways of cooling down urban areas and also preventing the overheating of dense urban spaces. In two case studies the town Wolkersdorf in Lower Austria and the 18th district of Vienna are used to test the cooling effect of landscape planning and open space planning measures in combination with innovative cooling technology.
The approach focuses on strategies of sustainable city planning, green and blue infrastructure and cooling techniques, and connects the topics of mobility, energy and water management. Two strategies form the basis of the project:
Improvement of the local urban climate on the small-scale object level of green and open spaces: Designing green participatory areas in the public space which function as “cooling oases” and can be used for pleasure, relaxing or communal playing. The application of new and innovative cooling technologies such as solar cooling panels as well as more natural, traditional shade systems and cooling options are examined. The “cooling oases” can fulfil other functions such as creating places to stop and rest and can be implemented in different locations such as squares, parks, waiting areas and abandoned parking spaces so that staying outdoors is appealing in spite of the heat.
On the large-scale landscape planning level the network of green spaces creates an upgrading of the path network by greening the city and by linking green routes (e.g. greened footpaths ,cycle lanes, promenades and arbours) with the cooling oases, natural spaces and bodies of water while taking air circulation into account. These connections should be further developed at the regional level to include planned urban expansion areas and nearby communities in order to improve the urban climate, the micro- and macroclimate. The focus here is to raise awareness for the long-term, forward-looking and inter-communal safeguarding of green and open spaces.
By means of interventions and “design-thinking” processes the residents´ own areas of action are activated – especially by people who are particularly affected by the heat like the elderly, sick and frail or children – and are used by integrating them into a network with local operators. Knowledge exchange and dialoguing on the process during the whole project period helps to identify obstacles to implementation as well as conflicts and adds to the formation of a synergetic added value. Finally, the basics for sustainable implementation through effectiveness indicators are prepared for a subsequent “Cool-Demo” project. The following research questions are relevant: How can vegetation and innovative cooling technologies be used most effectively in open spaces? Which small-scale climatic improvements (measurement results) can be expected? Which methods are suitable for incorporating additional traffic infrastructure and energy into the investigations? What overall effect can be expected from the set of measures?
Weitere Informationen
Projektbeschreibung
Urban Cool Down Analyse SeniorInnen Währing
Urban Cool Down Analyse SeniorInnen Wolkersdorf
Monitoring und Evaluierung Ergebnisbericht
