Ready4Heat at events around Europe Part – ECCA

Ready4Heat Project Makes Its Mark at European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2025 Worms, Murska Sobota, and Partners Highlight Practical Impact on Local Heat Adaptation Strategies Across Europe At this year’s European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA 2025) in Rimini, Ready4Heat took a central role in shaping one of the most pressing debates in climate policy today: ensuring that municipal heat adaptation measures truly reach the most vulnerable citizens. In a session titled “Reaching the Heat-Vulnerable: Actor-Centred Approaches to Participation and Implementation in Municipal Heat Plans,” chaired by Marco Elischer from the City of Worms, municipal practitioners, researchers, and civil society actors from across Europe gathered to share experiences and reflect on emerging strategies. Drawing on the direct experiences from the Ready4Heat project, the discussion highlighted real-world lessons on governance, implementation, and equity in local heat planning. From Conceptual Frameworks to Real-World Applications A key contribution from the session was a typology that maps heat adaptation measures along two axes: whether strategies focus on intermediary multipliers (like care institutions) or directly engage affected populations, and whether implementation is top-down or community-based. This framework helped participants position their own local strategies and identify where gaps may exist. More importantly, it showcased Ready4Heat’s strength in offering flexible approaches adaptable to diverse urban realities. Three Cities, Three Approaches Ready4Heat cities brought concrete examples to the table. Worms and Murska Sobota demonstrated how European funding translates into practical action on the ground:

• In Murska Sobota, Peter Beznec from the Centre for Health and Development shared how public institutions such as kindergartens have become hubs for participatory adaptation processes. This approach empowers communities directly, showing that even smaller municipalities can lead in democratic climate adaptation when trust and accessibility are prioritized.
• Worms illustrated a complementary approach: embedding heat adaptation into existing care infrastructure. Rather than creating entirely new programs, Worms collaborates with elderly care and daycare providers to build a multiplier-focused, community-based strategy. This method emphasizes trust-building and strengthening self-protection capacities among vulnerable groups.

Institutionalizing Heat Adaptation Across Europe Beyond these city-level stories, the session also explored structural challenges. Climate Alliance’s Dr. Wolfgang Hofstetter stressed the need for long-term municipal mandates and budgetary commitments to prevent heat adaptation from becoming a one-off effort. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Sven Lautenbach from the University of Heidelberg demonstrated how participatory modeling and spatial vulnerability analyses can support evidence-based local planning without sidelining community engagement. Max Ulrich from AtmoVera added a final layer with a case study on working with a school for hearing-impaired children in the Rhineland-Palatinate. What started as a vulnerability assessment evolved into a participatory, long-term transformation process—illustrating how adaptation can become part of an institution’s core identity. Participation in Practice: Learning from Successes and Setbacks The session concluded with interactive formats, including a World Café and Gallery Walk. Participants openly shared not just successes, but also real challenges: reaching hard-to-access groups, maintaining long-term engagement, and balancing efficiency with inclusivity. One clear message emerged: true heat adaptation is not only about technical measures. It requires social infrastructure, trust, and governance formats that center on those most affected. Looking Forward: Ready4Heat as a Platform for Ongoing Impact The ECCA 2025 session confirmed Ready4Heat’s role as more than a funding project—it is a living platform for shared learning and policy integration across European cities. For Worms and the broader Ready4Heat partnership, the experience reinforced a shared commitment: The next phase of climate adaptation in Europe is not about planning more. It’s about implementing together—equitable, relational, and grounded in local realities.